Background and Aim: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a type of accumulation of fat in the liver cells. Moreover, portulaca oleracea has hypolipidemic properties. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of a combination of training and portulaca oleracea supplementation on plasma lipid profile and liver ultrasound in obese women with nonalcoholic fatty liver.
Methods & Materials: The study population consisted of 40 to 60-year-old obese women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In total, 40 obese women with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were randomly selected and divided into 4 groups. The study groups included training (n=10), training + supplementation (n=10), placebo (n=10) and supplementation (n=10). Before and after the intervention, sonography of the liver and blood tests were performed. The Paired Samples t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the obtained data. The significance level was set at P<0.05.
Ethical Considerations: This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch, Iran (code: IR. IAU.RASHT.REC. 1397. 034). Moreover, it was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) (code: IRCT201903090429871).
Results: The obtained data suggested that 12 weeks of portulaca oleracea supplementation and combination training significantly decreased the plasma concentrations of cholesterol (P=0.001), triglyceride (P=0.00), LDL (P=0.00), and significantly increased serum HDL levels (P=0.00) in the exercise + supplement, supplement, and exercise groups (P<0.05). Liver ultrasound data also improved in the exercise + supplement (P=0.02), and exercise (P=0.00) groups.
Conclusion: Portulaca oleracea supplementation with combination exercises could be effective in reducing plasma lipids and improving liver ultrasound in obese women with nonalcoholic fatty liver.