Research in Medicine

Background: New findings suggest that levels of Apo-A1 and Apo-B in the blood are more likely to predict the risk of coronary heart disease compared with other conventional lipid indicators. On the other hand, low-density lipoprotein oxidation, called ox-LDL, is known to be the most important process in initiating and accelerating the accumulation and deposition of fat in the arteries. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of eight weeks of rope training along with Portulaca oleracea supplementation on ox-LDL, Apo-A1, and Apo-B levels in overweight and obese girls.
Materials and Methods: In the current experimental study, 40 individuals (20-25 yr) volunteered and were randomly assigned into placebo, complement, exercise, and exercise + complement roups. Exercise protocol of rope training was conductcted for 8 weeks, 4 days per week, 45 minutes per day. Participants of exercise + complement and supplemented groups received 1200 mg of Portulaca oleracea supplement per day for eight weeks. Blood samples were taken to evaluate ox-LDL, Apo-B, Apo-A1 serum levels before and after exercise. Data were analyzed running T-test and ANOVA in SPSS, version 20 (p <0.05).
Results: The results showed that in all the three intervention groups, Apo-A1 levels increased significantly (exercise group: p=0.001; supplement group: p = 0.000; supplement + exercise group: p=0.002), and the values of Apo-B (exercise group: p = 0.002; supplement  group: p = 0.001; supplement + exercise group: p = 0.012) and ox-LDL (exercise group: p = 0.009; supplement  group: P = 0.026; supplement + exercise group: P = 0.049) in all three intervention groups decreased significantly.
Conclusions: It seems that the use of non-medical strategies such as aerobic training in the form of rope training and the use of Portulaca oleracea supplementation can be useful in controlling the risk factors associated with overweight and obesity.