Intense Circuit Resistance Training along with Zataria multiflora Supplementation Reduced Plasma Retinol Binding Protein-4 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in Postmenopausal Females

It is observed that the levels of retinol binding protein-4 (RBP-4) and cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in people with obesity, diabetes and low physical activity, such as postmenopausal females, are more than those of the healthy individuals.
The current study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of circuit resistance training (CRT) and Zataria multiflora supplementation (ZMSuppl) on RBP-4 and TNF-α in postmenopausal females.
Forty-eight untrained postmenopausal females participated in the study and were divided into four groups (n = 12) of control (Con), CRT, ZMSuppl and CRT along with ZMSuppl (CRT ZMSuppl). CRT program included 12 stations (30 seconds for each station, 85% one repetition maximum) for eight weeks (three sessions/week). 500 mg of ZMSuppl was consumed daily after breakfast in ZMSuppl and CRT ZMSuppl groups. Blood samples were taken 48 hours before the first session and 48 hour after the last session of training to measure plasma RBP-4 and TNF-α.
A significant reduction was observed in plasma TNF-α in the CRT ZMSuppl group in comparison with Con (P The current study showed that intense CRT causes significant reduction only in plasma RBP-4; but this reduction was higher in RBP-4 and also in TNF-α, when ZMSuppl was added to CRT. Therefore, it may be an effective method to reduce disorders and abnormalities related to inflammatory factors resulting from menopause.