Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of aerobic exercise in combination with garlic and lemon on the lipid profile, metabolic parameters, and liver enzymes of obese male rats. Design: Sixty-four male Wistar rats were divided into eight equal groups consisting of 1) control following no treatment (n = 8); 2) hypercaloric fatty-food-based diet (n = 8); 3) aerobic exercise (AE, n = 8); 4) garlic intake (G, n = 8); 5) aerobic exercise with garlic intake (AEG, n = 8); 6) lemon intake (L, n = 8); 7) garlic and lemon (GL, n = 8); 8) garlic, lemon and aerobic exercise (GLAE, n = 8). After six weeks of intervention, blood samples were taken to obtain cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and glucose. C-reactive protein (CRP), alanine aminotransferase (GPT), aspartate aminotransferase (GOT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatinine (Cr), urea and uric acid (UA) were also measured. A oneway ANOVA or the Kruskal Wallis tests for the non-normally distributed variables, with post-hoc pairwise comparisons were conducted to assess differences between groups. Results: All the intervention groups obtained significantly better values compared to the hypercaloric group, although being also fed with a hypercaloric diet. In certain parameters, the intervention groups obtained equal or even better results than the control healthy group. The combination of aerobic exercise with the intake of garlic and lemon showed slightly non-significant better results. Conclusion: Aerobic exercise combined with the intake of garlic and lemon juice may influence the lipid profile, liver enzymes, and other blood parameters associated with cardiovascular disease.

Purpose: The purpose was to investigate the effects of six weeks of resistance or aerobic exercise combined with the intake of Cornus mas extract on the lipid profile, metabolic parameters, and liver enzymes of obese rats. Methods: 49 male Wistar rats were divided into seven groups: 1) healthy control (n = 7); 2) hypercaloric fatty-food-based diet (n = 7); 3) aerobic exercise (AE, n = 7); 4) resistance exercise (RE, n = 7); 5) Cornus mas extract intake (C, n = 7); 6) Cornus mas combined with aerobic exercise (CAE, n = 7); and 7) Cornus mas combined with resistance exercise (CRE, n = 7). All the rats (except the controls) were induced fatty liver by six weeks of a hypercaloric diet before the intervention. After the six-week intervention, blood samples were taken to obtain levels of triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), cholesterol, glucose, c-reactive protein (CRP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatinine, and urea. A one-way ANOVA or the Kruskal Wallis tests for the non-normally distributed variables, with post-hoc pairwise comparisons, assessed differences between groups. Results: All the intervention groups significantly (p < .05) improved the parameters compared to the hypercaloric group in almost all the assessed parameters, reaching in many cases significantly better values than the healthy group (control). Adding the Cornus supplementation to the exercise resulted in slightly non-significant better values. Conclusion: Cornus mas extract and aerobic or resistance training may be helpful to treat fatty liver and also reduce the lipid profile levels.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a six-week intake of Berberis vulgaris L in combination with resistance and aerobic exercise on the lipid profile, metabolic parameters, and liver enzymes of obese male rats. Methods: 56 male Wistar rats were divided into seven groups: 1) healthy control (n = 8); 2) hypercaloric fatty-food-based diet (n = 8); 3) aerobic exercise (AE, n = 8); 4) resistance exercise (RE, n = 8); 5) black Berberis vulgaris L extract intake (n = 8); 6) Berberis intake combined with aerobic exercise (BAE, n = 8); and 7) Berberis intake combined with resistance exercise (BRE, n = 8). All the rats (except the controls) were induced fatty liver by six weeks of a hypercaloric diet before the intervention. After six weeks of intervention, blood samples were taken to obtain cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), glucose of c-reactive protein (CRP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and urea. Differences between groups were evaluated using the Kruskal Wallis test with post-hoc pairwise comparisons. Results: All the intervention groups significantly (p < .05) improved the parameters compared to the hypercaloric group in almost all the assessed parameters, reaching in many cases significantly better values than the healthy group (control). Similar results were obtained between the experimental groups; however, the outcomes were slightly better (non-significant differences) for the combination of the Berberis extract and both exercise methodologies. Conclusion: The use of herbal medicines such as Berberis vulgaris L in combination with aerobic or resistance exercises may be useful in the prevention of cardiovascular disease by improving risk factors such as blood lipid levels.