Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk

Abstract Aging in women accelerates declines in anabolic hormones and disrupts lipid homeostasis, increasing cardiometabolic risk. Whether combining blood flow restriction (BFR) with functional training provides greater benefits for irisin, IGF-1, and lipid indices than functional training alone remains unclear. This study examined the effects of 8 weeks of functional training with and without BFR on these outcomes in older women. Thirty-six older women (mean age, 63.41 years) were randomly assigned to functional training with BFR (FTBFR; 20–55% 1RM), functional training (FT; 40–75% 1RM), or control (CON). The exercise protocol included 10 functional movements performed three times weekly for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples were collected before and 48 hours after the final session. Serum irisin and IGF-1 were measured by ELISA, and lipid indices (TC, TG, LDL, and HDL) were assessed using enzymatic assays. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests and ANCOVA (P < 0.05). Significant between-group differences were observed for irisin (P = 0.0001), IGF-1 (P = 0.001), and the LDL/HDL ratio (P = 0.0001). Both training groups increased irisin (FTBFR, 32.85%; FT, 23.98%) and IGF-1 (FTBFR, 14.03%; FT, 9.28%) and reduced the LDL/HDL ratio (FTBFR, 25.09%; FT, 18.39%), whereas no changes occurred in CON. FTBFR produced a greater improvement in the LDL/HDL ratio than FT (P = 0.025). Eight weeks of functional training improved endocrine and lipid-related biomarkers in older women. Adding BFR may enhance lipid-related adaptations during low-load functional training, although its independent contribution requires further investigation.