Whole-body vibration suppresses gastric motility in healthy men

The influence of whole-body vibration on gastric motility was investigated by using an electrogastrography (EGG) in seven healthy men. The EGG is usually referred to as a noninvasive technique of recording gastric myoelectrical activity by means of placing electrodes on the abdominal surface. Sinusoidal vertical vibration at each of 3 different frequencies (10 Hz, 20 Hz, 40 Hz) were randomly given to the subject seated on a platform of vibrator for 5 min. The vibration magnitude was kept at a constant of 2.0 msec-2 (r.m.s.) during operation. The mean dominant frequency of EGG at control period was prior to operation 3.3 cycles per min (cpm). During vibration exposure at 10 Hz, the peak of dominant frequency increased to 3.9 cpm, and the relative power of slow wave showed the statistically significant decrease (45.8%, p < 0.05). The mean relative power of slow wave which is composed of frequencies ranged from 2.0 to 5.0 cpm was 56.6% at control period. On the contrary the mean relative power of frequencies ranging from 5.0 to 9.0 cpm, tachygastria increased from 29.5% to 39.1%. These results suggest that the short-term exposure to whole-body vibration effects on the gastric myoelectrical activity.