Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver disorders. The main causes of NAFLD are associated with insulin resistance, severe lipid metabolism disorders, oxidative stress and inflammation. Previous studies have reported that ginger has positive metabolic results. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of ginger powder supplement on lipid profiles, insulin resistance, liver enzymes, inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant status in patients with NAFLD. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 46 people with NAFLD were parted into two groups and subjected to the ginger or placebo capsules (3 capsules daily, each containing 500 mg of ginger or wheat flour) over 12 weeks. All patients received a diet with balanced energy and physical activity during the intervention period. Liver ultrasonography, anthropometric indices and biochemical parameters were measured before and after intervention. Results: No significant difference was found between the two groups in the baseline variables at the beginning of the study. At the end of the study, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), fasting blood glucose, and insulin resistance index (HOMA), C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and fetuin-A in the group receiving a ginger supplement significantly decreased compared to placebo. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in body weight, fasting insulin, HDL-C, triglyceride, adiponectin, alpha-tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), fatty liver index (FLI), fatty liver grade and blood pressure. Conclusion: The ginger supplement may be used as a complementary therapy along with existing therapies to reduce insulin resistance, liver enzymes and inflammation in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver.

Background: Different indices have been introduced to assess the anthropometric status and body composition. Objectives: This study was conducted to compare anthropometric indices in male and female athletes and non-athletes. Methods: This cross sectional study has been conducted on 529 (324 men and 205 women) athletes (age, 32.8 ± 9.2 years) and 840 (457 men and 383 women) non-athletes (age, 33.9 ± 10.4 years) in fitness clubs in Ahvaz city. Individuals were selected by cluster sampling. Weight, body mass index, body fat percentage, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio and body surface area were measured. The relationship between anthropometric indices with body fat percentage was studied. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 22. Normality of the data was assessed by using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. To compare variables between the two groups, the t-test and Mann-Whitney test were used. The relationship between anthropometric indices was assessed by linear regression. Results: Waist-to-hip ratio in male athletes and non-athletes had the most correlation with body fat percentage (r = 0.821 and r = 0.889, respectively). Body mass index in female athletes and non-athletes had the most correlation with percentage of body fat (r = 0.780 and r = 0.863, respectively). Conclusions: The results of this study show that the use of appropriate anthropometric indicators can be influenced by gender and physical activity (athletes or non-athletes).

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