AgingResearch.NewsJoin free
BMC Sports Science, Medicine & Rehabilitation

Exercise plus folic acid may improve metabolism in men with obesity

A 12-week randomized trial in 44 men aged 23–32 found the largest improvements in blood sugar measures with combined exercise and supplementation.

Paper by Arina Rostami, Ayoub Saeidi, Keyvan Hejazi, Rashmi Supriya, Hassane Zouhal · University of Kurdistan · International Institute of Sport Sciences (2I2S)
Figure 1 from BMC Sports Science, Medicine & Rehabilitation
Open the figure at full size
Figure 1. Rostami et al.

Our read

Interventions
Studied:
Randomized trial in 44 people (12 weeks, double-blind, registered IRCT20120129008863N15)

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper
Follow @agingbrief

Forty-four men aged 23–32 with obesity entered a 12-week double-blind randomized experimental trial. Researchers assigned 11 to each of four groups: control, folic acid, exercise, or both. Exercise combined stability, strength and interval exercises with treadmill-based aerobic activity. Supplemented groups took 500 micrograms of folic acid daily.

Fasting blood sugar, insulin and insulin resistance fell in all three active groups, with the largest improvements in the group receiving both interventions. Insulin resistance means the body responds less well to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. The combined group also reduced body weight. Both exercise groups reduced body fat, with larger reductions when folic acid was added. Blood markers of inflammation fell in all three active groups.

Why it matters

Metabolic health is relevant to healthy aging. This trial addressed inflammation and insulin resistance in young adulthood, rather than testing effects on aging or lifespan.

Caveats

With only 11 men per group, these results are preliminary. All participants were aged 23–32 with obesity, so the findings do not establish benefits for women or older adults.

Where the evidence stands

Folic acid

Mice and humans: replicated by independent labs. Cells and worms or flies: a single group.

C, W, M, H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.

Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.

Against: findings that point the other way from most findings on the same outcome.

No results posted: trials that ended over a year ago with no results on ClinicalTrials.gov and no paper reporting them.

Company ties: findings with an author at a company, or from a paper whose competing-interests statement declares ties to one.

  • 64 independent labs in 17 countries
  • 14 findings against
  • 171 trials, 73 with no results posted
  • Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China and others
  • 1 of 162 findings with company ties
  • 3 of 171 trials sponsored by its developers

Combined aerobic and resistance training

Mice and humans: replicated by independent labs. Cells and worms or flies: nothing yet.

C, W, M, H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.

Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.

Against: findings that point the other way from most findings on the same outcome.

Company ties: findings with an author at a company, or from a paper whose competing-interests statement declares ties to one.

  • 188 independent labs in 37 countries
  • 48 findings against
  • 21 trials
  • Funders: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior and others
  • 15 of 683 findings with company ties

Comments

Be the first to comment.

More supplements

More on Combined aerobic and resistance training