Effect of eight weeks of resistance exercise on new biomarkers of cardiovascular disease in obese adult males

Background: Obesity and its related disorders are the cause of cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, the results of studies indicated that exercise training have beneficial health effects on obesity and risk markers of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of 8 weeks of resistance training on lipocalin2 (LCN2) and fatty acid binding protein (FABP) in obese adult males. Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, the obese adult men (n=24) were randomly assigned into Control and Exercise groups. Exercise group was participated in a resistance exercise program with 50-80 of one Repeated- Maximum (IRM) intensity for 8 weeks (three times per week). Venous blood samples were collected before and after the exercise. Moreover, body composition indexes were measured at pre- and post-training programme Results: Resistance exercise caused a significant decrease in the body fat percent, waist circumference and waist to hip ratio (WHR) in Exercise group (P<0.05). Moreover, the results indicated a significant decrease in Exercise group for LCN2 concentration after resistance training (P=0.002) compared to Control group (P=0.799). Also a significant decrease in FABP4 concentration was found in Exercise group (P=0.002). Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that 8 weeks of resistance exercise improve body composition and decrease the new cardiovascular biomarkers in obese men. However, further research is necessary to understand the molecular mechanisms involved

The effects of ginger supplementation on markers of inflammatory and oxidative stress: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials

The present systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of ginger supplementation on markers of inflammatory and oxidative stress. PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were systematically searched to identify relevant clinical trials evaluating the effects of ginger on serum CRP (C-reactive protein), TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor‐alpha), IL-6 (interleukin-6), PGE2 (Prostaglandin E2), TAC (Total antioxidant capacity) and MDA (Malondialdehyde) from inception up to September 2019. Mean difference (MD) and its 95 % confidence interval (CI) was determined using a random effects model. Potential publication bias was assessed using visual inspection of funnel plot and Egger's weighted regression tests. After excluding irrelevant records, 20 full-text articles that included 25 separate studies were included to the meta-analysis. Pooled results of the present study indicated a statistically significant effect of ginger on serum CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, TAC and MDA levels following ginger supplementation. Also, the effects of ginger on serum PGE2 was marginally significant. Moreover, the significant heterogeneity disappeared in subgroup analysis performed by age, duration, dosage, and quality. This current analysis indicates that ginger supplementation has significant effects on serum inflammatory markers

Relationships Between Serum Interleukn-18 Concentration with Acylated Ghrelin, Growth Hormone, Insulin Resistance, and Lipid Profile in Obese and Lean Men

Introduction: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a strong proinflammatory cytokine that its increased levels are associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between serum interleukin-18 concentration with acylated ghrelin, growth hormone, insulin resistance, and lipid profile in obese and lean men. Methods: In this semi-experimental study, ninety obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) and ninety lean men (body mass index ≤ 18.5 kg/m2) were selected. After 12 h fasting, blood samples were collected and general characteristics of subjects were assessed. The study data was then analyzed by Pearson’s correlation coefficient with the significance level of P<0.01. Results: Serum levels of IL-18 were positively correlated with insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) (obese: r=0.35, p=0.000, lean: r=0.31, p=0.009) and triglyceride (obese: r=0.19, p=0.000, lean: r=0.11, p=0.002), while negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein (obese: r=-0.23, p=0.003, lean: r=-0.14, p=0.006). No significant correlations were observed between serum IL-18 levels with acylated ghrelin, growth hormone, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein. Conclusions: The study findings revealed that in both groups of obese and lean men, serum levels of IL-18 positively correlated with insulin resistance and triglyceride, and negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein. Furthermore, within obese individuals that have elevated IL-18 levels, this can be associated with disorder in glycemic control and lipid profile, and thus, with increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. IL-18 levels do not appear to have any correlations with acylated ghrelin, growth hormone, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein