The Effect of Eight Weeks of Water Exercise with Supplementation Elaeagnus Angustifolia on Some Inflammatory and Growth Factors in Overweight Postmenopausal Women

Menopause is a natural and inevitable component of women's lives and encompasses physiological, psychological, and social changes, including hot flashes, depression, muscle aches, inflammation, osteoporosis, and weight gain. Using herbal dietary supplements is an attractive approach to controlling obesity and associated complications. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of exercises in the water along with oleaster supplementation on C-reactive protein (CRP) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in overweight and obese postmenopausal women.

Forty-two postmenopausal women with a mean age of 52.97± 5.08, mean weight 73.95± 8.09 kg and mean height 156.057±7.56 Cm randomly divided into four groups: control (n=10), exercise+ placebo (n=10), supplement (n=10), and exercise+ supplement (n=12). The exercise+ placebo group conducted eight weeks of water exercise with an intensity of 60-74% of maximum heart rate twice a week, the supplement group received daily supplementation of 15 g daily, the exercise+ supplement group eight weeks both used supplements and exercised in water and the control group did not undergo any exercise or supplements during eight weeks. Blood samples were collected from subjects in two stages to evaluate the variables under fasting conditions. CRP and IGF-1 concentrations in serum were measured using an ELISA kit and mass spectrometry, respectively.

The results revealed a significant difference in C-reactive protein within the exercise+ supplement and supplement groups. Besides, there was a significant difference in insulin-like factor-1 among the three experimental groups (P<0.05).

The use of oleaster supplements and exercise in water has not been able to affect growth and inflammatory factors, so continuously taking oleaster supplements is not recommended for overweight postmenopausal women.