The effect of aerobic exercises on the level of lipid and glucose in the blood of fasting men

Abstract

Introduction: Ramadan is the holy month for Muslims and they fast during this month. The purpose of this study was evaluating the impact of selected exercise programs and Ramadan fasting on plasma glucose, lipids and lipoproteins. Materials and Methods: The subjects of this study were 32 healthy, young untrained men who voluntarily participated in this study. They were divided randomly into two groups of exercisers (n=17, age: 25.76±5.27) and controls (n=15, age: 25.42±3.99). Blood samples were taken four times [1 day before the beginning of Ramadan Fasting (Pre-RF), 15th and 29th of the Ramadan, and 30 days after the end of Ramadan Fasting (After- RF)]. The exercise selected included aerobic exercises (intensity: 70% of maximal heart rate, frequency: 3 times a week, duration: 4 weeks). Statistical method of t-test and repeated measure tests were used for analysis. Results: Triglyceride (TG) and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) were significantly lower in the experiment group on the 15th of Ramadan and TG was significantly lower After-Rf (P≤0.05). There was no significant difference between other variables including low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol (TC) and fasting blood sugar (FBS) in the exercise and control groups (P>0.05). In the exercise group, TG, VLDL and FBS decreased on day 15 versus pre-fasting, TG and VLDL increased on day 29 versus day 15 and decreased in After-RF versus day 15 (P≤0.05). There were no significant changes within the measures of the control group (P>0.05). Conclusion: It seems that metabolic response to fasting is closely related to interactive response of exercise and fasting.

Keywords

• aerobic exercises
• fasting
• men