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Background and Aim The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of aerobic exercise and the consumption of kefir dough on anthropometric indices, plasma lipid profile and blood pressure in overweight non-athletic women. Methods & Materials This quasi-experimental study was performed on 32 non-athletic women with overweight in Arak, Iran (mean age= 33.94±8.58 years, mean height= 1.59±0.05 cm, mean weight= 70.15±6.88 kg, and body mass index= 27.35±1.50 kg/m2) who were voluntarily selected and randomly divided into four groups of 8 (control, exercise, exercise + supplement, and supplement). The control group had a normal diet without exercise; the supplement group received 100 ml kefir dough three meals a day for 8 weeks; the exercise group performed aerobic exercise for 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week, each for 50 minutes. The exercise + supplement group received both aerobic exercise and kefir dough. Blood and anthropometric variables were measured at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. Paired t-test was used to examine the within-group variations and one-way ANOVA to examine the between-group variations. All statistical tests were performed at the significant level of P<0.05. Ethical Considerations This study has obtained its ethical approval from the Research Ethics Committee of Qom University (Code: IR.QOM.REC.1398.01). Results The combination of kefir dough supplementation and aerobic exercise significantly reduced the mean blood pressure (P=0.003) and BMI (P=0.03) but had no significant effect on total cholesterol (P=0.27), triglycerides (P=0.61), high-density lipoprotein (P=0.16), low-density lipoprotein (P=0.30) and waist-to-hip ratio (P=0.24). Conclusion Overweight women can benefit from the aerobic exercise combined with kefir dough supplementation to reduce their blood pressure and BMI. Further studies are recommended to determine the effect of aerobic exercise and kefir supplementation on serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low- and high-density lipoproteins, and waist-to-hip ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a type of accumulation of fat in the liver cells. Moreover, portulaca oleracea has hypolipidemic properties. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of a combination of training and portulaca oleracea supplementation on plasma lipid profile and liver ultrasound in obese women with nonalcoholic fatty liver. Methods & Materials The study population consisted of 40 to 60-year-old obese women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In total, 40 obese women with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were randomly selected and divided into 4 groups. The study groups included training (n=10), training + supplementation (n=10), placebo (n=10) and supplementation (n=10). Before and after the intervention, sonography of the liver and blood tests were performed. The Paired Samples t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the obtained data. The significance level was set at P<0.05. Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch, Iran (code: IR. IAU.RASHT.REC. 1397. 034). Moreover, it was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) (code: IRCT201903090429871). Results The obtained data suggested that 12 weeks of portulaca oleracea supplementation and combination training significantly decreased the plasma concentrations of cholesterol (P=0.001), triglyceride (P=0.00), LDL (P=0.00), and significantly increased serum HDL levels (P=0.00) in the exercise + supplement, supplement, and exercise groups (P<0.05). Liver ultrasound data also improved in the exercise + supplement (P=0.02), and exercise (P=0.00) groups. Conclusion Portulaca oleracea supplementation with combination exercises could be effective in reducing plasma lipids and improving liver ultrasound in obese women with nonalcoholic fatty liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]