The effect of eight weeks of aerobic exercise with ginger supplementation on serum TNFa and IL-6 levels in diabetic women

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is associated with elevated fasting blood sugar and insulin resistance. Inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa) are abundantly produced in people with type 2 diabetes. TNFa is an inflammatory cytokine that causes insulin resistance (IR) in people with diabetes. Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of eight weeks of aerobic exercise with ginger supplementation on serum TNFa and IL-6 levels in diabetic women. Methods: In this study, 60 diabetic women with BMI> 30 and fasting blood sugar 150 to 280 mg/dL with an average age of 50 to 60 years were selected and randomly divided into three groups: aerobic exercise + ginger supplement (n=20), aerobic exercise (n=20), and control (n=20). Both groups exercised for 1h in each training session, 3 sessions per week and aerobic exercise for 8 weeks. Subjects in the aerobic exercise + ginger supplement group received four 250 mg capsules ginger extract 1g daily for 8 weeks. Before performing the training protocol (8 weeks of training) and 24 hours after the last training session, patients' blood was taken and serum was isolated. Fasting blood glucose, serum TNFa and IL-6 were measured. Results: The results showed that TNFa and IL-6 levels in the exercise + ginger supplement group were significantly reduced compared to the exercise group without ginger consumption (p<0.05). Also, fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance had a significant decrease both exercise + ginger supplement and exercise without ginger supplementation after 8 weeks of aerobic exercise compared to control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Aerobic exercise combined with ginger supplementation improves inflammatory factors and serum TNFa and IL-6 levels in diabetic women.