فصلنامه علوم زیستی ورزشی
پیاپی 59 (زمستان 1402)

Obesity and inflammation is an important risk factor for diseases. Aerobic exercise (AE) and medicinal herbs can reduce obesity-induced inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of AE and Rice Bran Extract (RBE) on the inflammatory gene expression in white adipose tissue of obese female rats.

Thirty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups including Control with a natural diet, Control with a High-Fat Diet (HFD), HFD + AE, HFD + RBE, and HFD + AE + RBE. Rats ran on a treadmill for four weeks and received RBE. To induce obesity, frying palm oil was used (0.5 ml/g). After euthanasia, the white adipose tissue was extracted to measure the IL6, TNF-α, and TLR4 gene expression. 

HFD caused a significant increase in the IL-6, TNF-α, and TLR4 gene expression (P=0.001). AE significantly decreased IL-6 (P=0.001), TNF-α (P=0.041), and TLR4 (P=0.032) gene expression. RBE significantly decreased the IL-6 (P=0.001), TNF-α (P=0.003), and TLR-4 (P=0.011) gene expression. IL-6 (P=0.002), TNF-α (P=0.005), and TLR4 (P=0.011) gene expression was significantly decreased in the AE + RBE group compared to the control group with HFD, However, AE and RBE interaction in the expression of these genes was not statistically significant.

AE and RBE decrease the gene expression of inflammatory mediators caused by HFD in white adipose tissue. The AE and RBE consumption is recommended as a preventive and therapeutic solution in obesity conditions.

Excessive fructose consumption induces insulin resistance and elevates oxidative stress levels in various body tissues, including the testicular tissue. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of aerobic training (continuous and interval) and vanadium-zinc supplementation on the expression of antioxidant genes in testicular tissue in rats fed with fructose syrup.

fifty-six male rats were divided into seven groups including normal control (NC), fructose control (FC), moderate-intensity continuous training (FCT), high-intensity interval training (FIT), vanadium-zinc supplement (FS), moderate-intensity continuous training + vanadium-zinc supplement (FSCT) and high-intensity interval training + vanadium-zinc supplement (FSIT). The GPX, SOD, and CAT genes expression in testicular tissue and serum levels of TAC, TOC, glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR were measured. One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests were used for data analysis at a significant level of P≤0.05.

Sixteen weeks of fructose syrup consumption led to a significant increase in serum glucose, HOMA-IR, and TOC levels and a significant decrease in serum TAC, and the levels of GPX, SOD, and CAT gene expression in the testicular tissue of the FC group compared with NC group (P<0.05). Eight weeks of vanadium-zinc supplementation and aerobic training (continuous and interval) were associated with a decrease in serum glucose, HOMA-IR, and TOC levels and an increase in serum TAC and levels of GPX, SOD, and CAT gene expression compared with the FC group (P<0.05).

The results of this research showed that aerobic training (continuous and interval) and vanadium-zinc supplementation improve the metabolic status and subsequently improve the oxidative status in subjects suffering from insulin resistance.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Branched-Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplementation time on changes in the concentration of anabolic-catabolic hormones and muscle damage in trained individuals following acute resistance training.

In this quasi-experimental study with cross-sectional design, 11 active male athletes from Sanandaj sports clubs with a mean age of 32±6.9 years, height of  179.7±22.7 Cm, weight of 79.4±1.11Kg, and body mass index of 25.3 ± 3.8 Kg/m2  who had at least three regular training sessions during the week and had no history of taking supplement, were selected purposefully and then randomly subjected to four conditions (taking supplement/placebo 20 minutes before training and immediately after training). In the first session, half of the participants received three grams of BCAA supplements, and the other half received a placebo 20 minutes before resistance training. In the second session, the participants were subjected to opposite conditions. The conditions in the third and fourth sessions were different in that the time of taking the supplement was immediately after the end of resistance training. In each session, two blood samples were drawn before the beginning of the resistance program and again half an hour after the end of the training program to measure the studied variables.

Analysis of variance with repeated measurements showed that BCAA supplementation does not significantly affect muscle damage indices (creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase) and does not change the serum concentration of testosterone, cortisol, and growth hormones.  

In general, the present findings show that the use of one dose of BCAA before and after the end of the resistance training protocol does not affect the changes in the concentration of anabolic-catabolic hormones and muscle damage.

The restrictions caused by the coronavirus resulted in physiological and psychological problems for all ages in the world. This study aimed to investigate the effect of four weeks of aerobic exercise and caffeine supplementation on body composition and psychomotor performance of obese students who have recovered from COVID-19.

The current research was a quasi-experimental design with a two-step pre-test-post-test measurement. 40 obese students recovered from COVID-19 from Imam Khomeini International University of Qazvin Province eligible to participate in the research with a mean age of 22.57±1.45 years, weight of 90.74±7.53 kg, height of 171.05±4.93 cm, and body mass index of 30.51±2.36 were randomly assigned into four groups of 10 people including 1. Exercise-Supplement, 2. Exercise-Placebo, 3. Exercise, and 4. Control. The interventions included four weeks of aerobic exercise and caffeine or placebo supplementation. To analyze the data, a dependent t-test was used to check the intra-group difference, and an ANOVA statistical test was used to check the inter-group difference.

The results of the dependent t-test showed that there was a significant difference in all variables (body composition, and psychomotor performance) in the pre-test and post-test in the Exercise-Supplement, Exercise-Placebo, and Exercise groups (p<0.05), but in the pre-test and post-test, there was no significant difference in the control group for all variables (P>0.05). Also, intergroup analysis with the ANOVA test showed that there is no significant difference between groups in weight (p=0.144), fat percentage (p=0.053), and body mass index (p=0.993). However, there was a significant difference in psychomotor performance (duration of correct choice, number of correct choices, number of correct withdrawals, static balance, and dynamic balance) (p<0.05).

According to the obtained results, both aerobic exercise and aerobic exercise with caffeine supplementation can help reduce weight, body fat percentage, and body mass index, and improve psychomotor performance in obese people who have recovered from COVID-19.

Green coffee affects lipid profile due to its hypolipidemic bioactive compounds. Green coffee along with resistance training are considered as two possible factors for improving lipid profile. This study aimed to investigate the simultaneous effect of resistance training and green coffee on lipid profile and blood glucose in overweight and obese naval officers.

In this quasi-experimental study, 48 overweight and obese men were randomly assigned to four Resistance Training (R-Ex), Green Coffee (GC), Resistance Training + Green Coffee (R-Ex+GC), and Control (Con) groups. The training was performed in four sessions a week for eight weeks. An amount of 400 mg of green coffee was consumed per day for eight weeks.

The results showed a significant decrease in LDL, TG, and TC in the R-Ex group compared with the GC group. Also, the levels of TG and TC in the R-Ex+GC group had a significant decrease compared with the GC group.

According to the results of this research, both types of intervention, GC supplementation and R-Ex alone can be effective in improving lipid profile and blood glucose in overweight and obese naval officers. In addition, the results of this study indicated that consuming GC and R-Ex at the same time can have more beneficial effects on improving lipid profile in overweight and obese men. In general, performing resistance exercises along with the use of herbal supplements such as GC has beneficial effects on lipid metabolism.

Type-1 diabetes is associated with the weakness of the body's antioxidant defense and also affects skeletal muscles. This research aimed to investigate the interaction of Berberine supplementation with aerobic exercise on Malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPX), and also the Caspase-3 gene expression in quadriceps muscle tissue of type-1 diabetic rats.

35 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: 1) healthy control, 2) diabetic control, 3) Berberine supplement, 4) aerobic exercise and 5) Aerobic exercise + Berberine supplement. After ensuring the induction of diabetes by STZ in the treatment groups, moderate intensity aerobic exercise was performed for six weeks with a frequency of five sessions per week according to the schedule. Berberine supplementation with a dose of 50 mg/kg was implemented by gavage on all days of the week and half an hour before exercise.

The MDA and SOD levels in Berberine + aerobic exercise group significantly decreased (P<0.0019) and increased (P<0.0063), respectively compared to other groups. The level of GPX in the Berberine + aerobic exercise group had a significant increase compared to the diabetes control and aerobic exercise groups (P<0.0005 and P<0.001, respectively). Also, there was a significant increase in GPX level in the Berberine supplement group compared to the diabetes control group (P<0.0017), however, there was no significant difference between the group of Berberine + aerobic exercise and Berberine supplement (P=0.132). The Caspase-3 gene expression in Berberine + aerobic exercise group had a significant decrease compared to diabetes control and aerobic exercise groups (P<0.0001 and P<0.001, respectively). This variable also had a significant decrease in the Berberine supplement group compared to the diabetes control group (P<0.0005).

It seems that the simultaneous intervention of Berberine supplementation and aerobic exercise has positive synergistic effects and plays an important role in reducing MDA, caspase-3 gene expression, and increasing SOD and GPX in the quadriceps muscle of type-1 diabetic rats.