Changes of serum levels of Irisin and leptin following eight weeks of resistance training and Ursolic acid supplementation in inactive overweight male

Ursolic acid (UA) is a lipophilic triterpenoid extracted from plants. UA may augment the effect of resistance training (RT) in humans. Therefore، the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of eight weeks of RT and UA supplementation on serum level of Irisin and leptin in sedentary overweight men.

A total of 34 inactive overweight men voluntarily participated in، and randomly assigned into three groups: RT + UA (n=12), RT + placebo (n=12), and UA (n=10). RT program performed eight weeks، three sessions per week and included four upper body and four lower-body movements performed at 70-85% one-repetition maximum. Participants consumed 150 mg of UA or placebo (Flavored Maltodextrin) along with every meal. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) test by SPSS (p< 0.05).

Irisin was significantly increased in all three RT + UA (27.8%), RT + placebo (9.8%) and UA (4%) groups. On the other hand، the serum level of leptin was significantly decreased in all groups (38.7%, 18.7%, and 4.7%, respectively). Changes of both serum Irisin and leptin were significantly different between the RT + UA and RT + placebo, RT + UA and placebo, and RT + placebo and placebo groups.

The results showed that UA enhance the impact of RT. Accordingly, the RT program and UA supplementation can be used to develop an effective lifestyle intervention strategy in inactive, overweight people.