Abstract
BACKGROUND: Children with Down's syndrome are more liable to vitamin D deficiency. Treating this deficiency with supplements is associated with the risk of intoxication. AIM: The study is aimed at comparing the effect of two exercise intensities on the modulation of vitamin D and parathormone levels in children with DS. METHODS: Forty-four DS male children aged from 8 to 12 years participated in the study. They were assigned randomly into two equal groups. Group I received high-intensity treadmill aerobic exercises, and group II received moderate-intensity T-AE, three times per week for three months. The blood samples were collected from both groups before the intervention, after one month of intervention, then after three months of intervention to assess serum 25(OH)D and PTH levels. RESULTS: Repeated measure MANOVA revealed that the high-intensity T-AE induced a significant increase in 25(OH)D after one month and after three months while it significantly decreased PTH only after three months. Moderate-intensity T-AE had a nonsignificant effect on both hormones. CONCLUSION: The current study concluded that the high-intensity T-AE improved both vitamin D and parathormone serum levels after three months of intervention.