With the onset of middle age and increased prevalence of insulin resistance and chronic low-grade inflammation in sedentary men, there is growing need for non-pharmacological and innovative interventions during the subclinical stage. Improving markers such as insulin resistance, CRP, and the Cardiometabolic Triage Index (CTI) may help slow or even reverse the progression toward chronic disease. This study aimed to examine the effects of core muscle training, Electrical Multidirectional Stimulation (EMDS), and their combination on the TyG and CTI indices.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with four groups: control, core training, EMDS, and combined intervention. A total of 48 sedentary middle-aged men were recruited and randomly assigned to one of the groups. Interventions included 8 weeks of core training or 6 sessions of EMDS using the TruSculpt Flex device. Fasting venous blood samples were collected before and after the intervention. Metabolic and inflammatory variables including FBS, insulin, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, CRP, as well as composite indices TyG and CTI were measured. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests, ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc tests.
Findings: Significant reductions in FBS, insulin, HOMA-IR, and triglycerides were observed in the intervention groups (P<0.001). The TyG index decreased in all intervention groups with significant between-group differences (P=0.02). CTI showed a significant reduction in the combined and training groups. CRP decreased slightly in the EMDS group but was not statistically significant.