فصلنامه تحقیقات در علوم ورزشی و گیاهان دارویی
پیاپی 1 (پاییز 1399)

Nowadays, obesity is one of the health problems in the world, the incidence of which is spreading. In recent years, with the spread of obesity and metabolic complications caused by obesity, much scientific attention has been paid to the study of adipose tissue. Today, adipose tissue is not considered a static tissue that stores only energy, but is considered a metabolically active tissue. Like the glandular system, metabolic tissues secrete various secretory factors that have autocrine, paracrine and endocrine functions depending on the extracellular environment. Environmental factors such as diet, physical activity, and metabolic status are the main causes of overweight and obesity; in turn overweight and obesity are also affected by genetic traits. As a general rule, excess body fat is the result of a long-term imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure.

Proper selection of exercises is an important factor in changing the lifestyle of obese children and adolescents and is an effective indicator in the control and treatment of obesity. Physical activity creates a negative energy balance due to increased energy consumption. Recent research suggests that high intensity interval training (HIIT) creates a temporary state of anorexia that delays hunger for a short time after exercise, but this effect is short-term. On the other hand, HIIT plays a role in the changing energy consumption through changes in hunger and appetite signals as well as regulatory peptides at the levels of short to long-term signals in obese individuals. This review article discusses the effectiveness of HIIT in obese people.

Exercises and nutrition regimen have a major portion in the reduction of diabetes induced complications such as obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyper- insulinemia. The Aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of swimming training with consuming Coriandrum Sativum extract on glycemic indices of diabetic rats.

32 Sprague- Dawley rats were randomly selected in this experimental research, and one week after the induction of diabetes, they were divided into four groups of 8 rats. These groups include: 1) swimming training, 2) Coriandrum Sativum, 3) swimming training with Coriandrum Sativum, and 4) control group. Groups 2 and 3 received 100 mg/kg Coriandrum Sativum peritoneally. Also, groups 1 and 3 swam for 4 weeks, five sessions per-week. -Each session lasted 30 minutes. In this study, Kolmogorov- Smirnov test, one way ANOVA and Tukey’s post- hoc tests were used for the statistical analysis of data (p≤0.05).

Swimming training, consumption of Coriandrum Sativum, and swimming training with Coriandrum Sativum had a significant effect on the reduction of fasting glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin (p≤0.05). In addition, Coriandrum Sativum and swimming training with Coriandrum Sativum had a significant effect on the reduction of insulin resistance (p≤0.05) . Furthermore, Coriandrum Sativum had more favorable effects on the reduction of fasting glucose compared with the swimming training (p≤0.05) and swimming training, Coriandrum Sativum, and swimming training with Coriandrum Sativum had no significant effect on the reduction of insulin (p≥0.05).

It seems that it is possible to use 4 weeks swimming training with Coriandrum Sativum in order to improve glycemic indices in diabetic rats.

Aging is a biological process that causes muscle dysfunction and muscle atrophy by increasing oxidative stress. Although the role of exercise and some herbs in improving muscle metabolism has been identified, the effect of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and Citrus aurantium (CA) consumption on oxidative stress in muscle tissue following aging is unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of HIIT with CA consumption on glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonyl protein (PC) levels in the soleus muscle tissue of elderly rats.

In this experimental study, 35 elderly rats with the age range of 14 to 18 months, and approximate weight of 270 to 320 g were randomly divided into (1) control (C), (2) sham (Sh), (3) HIIT, (4) CA and (5) HIIT+CA groups. Groups 3 and 5 performed HIIT for eight weeks, five sessions per week (at 85-110% VO2max and speed of 15-25 m/min). Also, groups 4 and 5 received 300 mg/kg/day Citrus aurantium extract peritoneally for eight weeks. To analyze the data, one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's post- hoc test was performed in Graph Pad Prism 8.3.0 software (P≥0.05).

HIIT increased GPx and decreased PC (P≥0.05). CA consumption and HIIT and CA interaction increased GPx and decreased MDA and PC in the soleus muscle tissue of elderly rats (P≥ 0.05).

It seems that HIIT and CA consumption separately and synergistically have a beneficial effect on reducing oxidative stress and increasing antioxidant activity, however, further studies in this regard seem necessary.

Previous studies have shown that Alzheimer's disease can lead to dysfunction of sex hormones; however, consumption of antioxidant foods can prevent it. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of saffron extract and crocin on sex hormones in male rats with Alzheimer's disease.

This experimental study included 32 rats with Alzheimer's disease in four groups of 1) control 2) sham, 3) saffron and 4) crocin. Each group consisted of eight series. The third and fourth Groups received 25 mg/kg of saffron and crocin peritoneally daily for eight weeks. Serum levels of FSH, LH and testosterone were measured by ELISA. To analyze the data, the groups were compared using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc tests at a significance level of P ≤ 0.05.

Saffron had a significant effect on increasing FSH (P=0.001), LH (P=0.002) and testosterone (P=0.001). Like saffron, crocin had a significant effect on increasing testosterone (P=0.001), however, saffron’s effect was greater on increasing testosterone than that of crocin (P=0.001).

Although crocin can improve serum testosterone levels in rats with Alzheimer's disease, saffron seems to have better effects on increasing sex hormones in Alzheimer's rats than crocin.

In recent decades, lipids and their related compounds in the plasma of healthy individuals and patients were considered and proposed ad risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to review the effect of 15 days’ cinnamon supplementation on lipid profile in response to an aerobic exercise session.

In this quasi- experimental study 24 healthy male were selected and divided into three equal groups (1g cinnamon, 1.5 g cinnamon, and placebo) according to aerobic power. The subjects were taking cinnamon capsules for 15 days. Blood sampling was taken from subjects before and immediately after 30 minutes of running with an intensity of 55 to 65 percent of maximum heart rate on the treadmill. For statistical analysis of data, dependent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey’s post- hoc tests were used (P≤0.05).

Aerobic exercise significantly increased HDL and decreased LDL, VLDL, TG, and Cho (P≤ 0.05), 15 days cinnamon supplementation had a significant effect on the increase of HDL and decrease of LDL, TG, and Cho in response to one session of aerobic exercise (P≤ 0.05, though, had no significant effect on VLDL (P≥ 0.05).

It seems that to improve the response of lipid profile to one session aerobic exercise, 15 days’ cinnamon supplementation can be used.

Nutrition and exercise are two factors affecting weight control. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of selected Pilates trainings with saffron consumption on body composition of female.

In this quasi- experimental study, 32 nonathlete female volunteers were divided into four groups of eight based on body weight, including 1) training, 2) saffron, 3) training + saffron and 4) placebo. Groups 1 and 3 performed Pilates trainings for 3 sessions per week. Each session lasted 60 minutes. Groups 2 and 3 consumed capsules containing 30 mg of saffron daily, and groups 4 received capsules containing placebo for 8 weeks. In the pre- test and 72 hours after the last training session and saffron consumption, the body composition of the subjects was measured using the BOCA X1 body composition device made in South Korea. To analyze the data, Shapiro- Wilk test, one-way ANOVA test with Tukey’s post- hoc test were used (P≤0.05).

Pilates training, saffron consumption and Pilates training with saffron consumption had a significant effect on reducing the percentage of fat mass, increasing the percentage of total body fluid and the percentage of lean body mass (P=0.001). Also Pilates training with saffron consumption compared to consumption of saffron had a favorable effect on reducing the percentage of body fat mass (P=0.01) and increasing the percentage of total body fluid (P=0.009).

Although Pilates training and saffron consumption alone improve body composition, it seems that Pilates training combined with saffron consumption has more favorable effects than saffron.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease that causes cognitive disorders in addition to physical injuries. The role of physical activity and medical plants in improving memory and physical function has been reported, but the interactive effect of training at different temperatures with Cinnamon consumption has not been known yet. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of swimming (S) training in water at 5 ° C (S5C) and 35 ° C (S35C) with cinnamon (Cin) consumption on avoidance memory, spatial memory and aerobic power of diabetic rats.

In this experimental study, 48 diabetic rats (55 mg/kg streptozotocin) were divided into 1) diabetic control (CD), 2) S5C, 3) S5C+Cin, 4) S35C, 5) S35C+Cin and 6) Cin groups. Eight rats were placed in the healthy control (HC) group to investigate the effects of diabetes induction on the research variables. Swimming trainings were performed at 2±5 ° C and 36±2 ° C for eight weeks, 3 days per week and 2-4 minutes in each session. The aqueous extract of cinnamon was 200 mg/kg/day dissolved in drinking water. 48 hours after the last training session, the research variables were measured.

S5C and S35C significantly caused the increase in step through latency (STL), percentage of alteration (PA) and aerobic power as well as decreased time spent in dark compartment (TDC) and repeat dark entrances (RDE) (P≤0.05). Cin caused a significant increase in PA and aerobic power as well as significant decrease in TDC (P≥0.05). Also, S5C+Cin and S35C+Cin significantly increased STL and PA and decreased TDC in diabetic rats (P≥0.05).

It seems that swimming training at different temperatures and consuming cinnamon have beneficial effects on the memory and learning of diabetic rats, but since Cin moderated the effects of training, further studies at the molecular- cellular level are recommended.

The use of exercise and herbal supplements to treat diseases and metabolic disorders has become popular among the people. Regarding the health-enhancing effects of aerobic training and eugenol, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of aerobic training with nano-eugenol supplementation on the gene expression of non-placental protein 3 (UPC3) in pancreatic tissue and serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in diabetic rats.

In this experimental study, 20 diabetic rats were divided into four groups of five rats: 1) control, 2) aerobic training, 3) nano-eugenol, and 4) nano-eugenol + training. To investigate the effects of diabetes induction on research variables, five healthy rats were placed in a healthy control group. For eight weeks, groups 3 and 4 received 2 mmol of nano-eugenol by gavage daily, and groups 2 and 4 performed aerobic training at 30 m/s five days a week. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, one-way analysis of variance with Tukey post- hoc test were used to analyze the data (P≤0.05).

Induction of diabetes had a significant effect on increasing UPC3 gene expression in pancreatic tissue and MDA serum levels (P=0.001). However, aerobic training with nano-eugenol had a significant effect on the reduction of UPC3 gene expression in pancreatic tissue (P=0.001) and serum levels (P=0.01).

It seems that aerobic training along with the use of nanoeugenol has more favorable effects on improving UPC3 gene expression levels and MDA serum levels than the either one alone in diabetes.