Anti‑Inflammatory Effects of a Period of Aerobic Training and Vitamin D Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women with Metabolic Syndrome

Inflammatory markers of blood are critical predictors of chronic diseases as well as exacerbating risk factors. Exercise is a well‑known strategy to reduce the risk of inflammation and chronic disease. The present study aimed to investigate the anti‑inflammatory effects of a period of aerobic training and vitamin D supplementation (AT + Vit D) in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome.

This quasi‑experimental research was performed on forty‑six patients with metabolic syndrome who were selected according to the available sampling method, and were randomly divided into four groups: AT + Vit D (50,000 IU), AT, Vit D (50,000 IU), and control (C). The training protocol consisted of 40–60 min of AT 60–75% of maximal heart rate, three times a week, for 8 weeks. One‑way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t‑test were used to compare the between and within groups; the Bonferroni post hoc test was used if significant differences were found.

The combination of exercise and vitamin D significantly reduced C‑reactive protein (CRP) (P = 0.001), interleukin‑6 (IL‑6) (P = 0.001), and improved the metabolic syndrome indices (P = 0.001 in all indices). The results also show that the improvement in the metabolic syndrome indices, CRP, and IL‑6 was more significant in AT + Vit D, compared to AT or Vit D alone.

The findings from the present study suggested that a sedentary lifestyle and vitamin D deficiency accelerated the occurrence of metabolic syndrome probably by increasing the anti‑inflammatory. Additionally, adequate levels of plasma vitamin D are necessary to achieve the beneficial metabolic effects of AT.