The Effect of Ginger Supplementation and High Intensity Interval Training on Metabolic Status, Serum Irisin and Anthropometric Indices in Obese Men

Abstract

Abstract Background and objective: Obesity is a major public health problem and a very important and underlying cause of many chronic diseases and various disorders, including dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. According to recent studies, myokines secreted from muscles such as irisin, play an important role in weight and obesity management. One of the ways to controlling weight and obesity is to perform regular physical activity and use some medicinal herbs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ginger supplementation , alone and in combination with high intensity interval training (HIIT) on the metabolic status, serum levels of irisin and anthropometric indices (weight, body mass index (BMI),waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (%BF) and waist-to- height ratio (WHtR) ) in obese men. Method: In this study, 64 obese men with a BMI of 40-30 kg /m2 and aged 20 to 35 years were assessed after obtaining written consent. The subjects were randomly assigned into 4 groups: group 1) ginger supplement, group 2) ginger supplement + HIIT, group 3) HIIT + placebo, group 4) placebo. The duration of the interventions was 10 weeks. The subjects were matched in terms of age and BMI in all groups. For each subject, the general questionnaire was completed and the basic physical activity level of all subjects was assessed by the IPAQ questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, BMI, WC, BF, WHtR) were performed. Daily dietary intake of subjects were evaluated by food record method for 3 days. Fasting blood samples (5-7cc) was obtained from all subjects prior to the intervention for determining biochemical parameters at the beginning of study.Subjects in ginger and ginger + HIIT groups received 3g of powdered ginger capsules daily (each capsule contained 1g) and subjects in the HIIT + placebo and placebo groups, received 3 g of daily placebo (starch) capsules. Participants in the ginger + HIIT and HIIT + placebo groups participated in a HIIT protocol for 10 weeks (3 sessions per week and 30 sessions in total). Blood sampling, food intake data, physical activity questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were gathered again at the end of study. Results: There were no significant differences between all the studied variables among the groups at the beginning of the study. Ginger + HIIT intervention reduced serum levels of TC, LDL-C and glucose, within group (p ˂ 0.05). Significant within group decrease, were observed in TG and LDL-C level In the HIIT + placebo group (p ˂ 0.05). There was no significant differences in serum levels of irisin in any of the studied groups at the end of interventions (p> 0.05). Ginger intervention alone, reduced %BF within group (P ˂ 0/05). In ginger + HIIT and HIIT + placebo groups significant decreases were observed in anthropometric indices including weight, %BF, WC, WHtR compared to placebo group. Conclusion: According to the results, using ginger alone, did not affect biochemical and anthropometric indices compared to the other groups. HIIT exercises alone and in combination with ginger supplementation reduced serum lipid profiles within group and improved obesity indices compared to the other group.