[ effect of diet and exercise on improvement of quality of life in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis]

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH] is part of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD]. No special medical treatment is known for this disease, and lifestyle modification is the best known method of treatment. We aimed to compare the effect of diet and aerobic exercise with that of diet alone on the quality of life of patients with NASH. In the present study, 25 patients within the age of range of 18-55 years were randomly divided into two groups of diet along with aerobic exercise [n = 12] and diet alone [n = 13]. The low-calorie diet in both groups included 500 kilocalories of energy less than the estimated daily energy requirement. In addition to diet, the first group participated in aerobic exercise for a period of 12 weeks, 3 days a week with 55-60% heart rate reserve. Quality of life score was measured by the short form-36 [SF-36] and ultrasonography at the beginning and the end of the study. In assessment of quality of life in diet along with aerobic exercise group, physical function, performance limitations due to illness, physical component score, general health, and vitality showed significant changes. In the diet alone group, general health and vitality improved after the intervention. Moreover, a significant reduction was observed in ultrasonographic features of fatty liver of those who also had aerobic exercise. Results of this study showed that addition of aerobic exercise to low-calorie diet was more effective in the improvement of quality of life and ultrasonographic features of patients with NASH

Therapeutic effects of aerobic exercise and low-calorie diet on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis [NASH] is part of a broad spectrum of nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases that can lead to cirrhosis. To date, there is no effective medical treatment for NASH. We aim to compare the effect of aerobic exercise in conjunction with diet to diet alone on the improvement of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in patients with NASH. We enrolled 23 NASH patients, ages 25-50 years, and randomly divided them into two groups, aerobic exercise plus diet [n=12] or diet alone [n=ll]. In this study, diet in both groups included 500 kilocalories of energy less than the estimated daily energy requirement. In addition to diet, the first group participated in aerobic exercises that consisted of walking, jogging and running, for a period of eight weeks, three days a week at a 55%-60% heart rate reserve. For all patients, we measured blood pressure, Waist Circumference, serum ALT, HDL, TG, FBS, insulin levels, and insulin resistance according to HOMA-IR at baseline and after eight weeks. We analyzed data with the paired and independent samples t-test, at a significance level of p<0.05. Although, there was no significant difference noted in patients in the diet only group, HOMA-IR, Systolic Blood Pressure, Diastolic Blood Pressure, FBS, ALT, and insulin levels significantly decreased in patients who underwent both diet and exercise. Serum TG levels and WC decreased significantly in both groups. In a comparison between the groups, there was a significant decrease observed in WC, FBS, and ALT. Aerobic exercise in conjunction with diet may be more effective than diet alone in the treatment of patients with NASH

Antidiabetic effect of hydroalcholic Urtica dioica leaf extract in male rats with fructose- induced insulin resistance

Urtica dioica has been used as antihypertensive, antihyperlipidemic and antidiabetic herbal medicine. The purpose of this study was to study the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Urtica dioica on fructose-induced insulin resistance rats. Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups including control, fructose, extract 50, extract 100 and extract 200. The control rat received vehicle, the fructose and extract groups received fructose 10% for eight weeks. The extract groups received single daily injection of vehicle, 50, 100 or 200 mg/kg/day for the two weeks. Blood glucose, insulin, last fasting insulin resistance index [FIRI], serum triglyceride [TG], low-density lipoprotein [LDL], very low-density lipoprotein [VLDL], high-density lipoprotein [HDL], alanin trasaminase [AST] and alkaline phosphatase [ALP], leptin and LDL/HDL ratio were determined. Compared to control group, daily administration of fructose was associated with significant increase in FIRI, blood glucose and insulin, significant decrease in lepin, and no significant change in TG, HDL, LDL, LDL/HDL ratio, VLDL, ALT, and ALP. The extract significantly decreased serum glucose, insulin, LDL and leptin, and LDL/HDL ratio and FIRI. It also significantly increased serum TG, VLDL, and AST, but did not change serum ALP. We suggest that Urtica dioica extract, by decreasing serum glucose, and FIRI, may be useful to improve type 2 diabetes mellitus. Also, by positive effect on lipid profile and by decreasing effect on leptin, it may improve metabolic syndrome

[Effects of forced exercise on withdrawal syndrome, brain hippocampus neurons count and level of serum corticosterone in morphine addicted male rats]

Addiction to morphine impairs the behavioral and cognitive performances. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of forced exercise [treadmill] on withdrawal signs after morphine deprivation, serum corticostrone level, and hippocampus neurons count in brain hemisphers in rats addicted to morphine. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into five groups with 10 in each: 1] exercised control [C+E], 2] sham exercised control [C+Sh.E], 3] addicted [A], 4] exercised addicted [A+E], and 5] sham-exercised addicted [A+Sh.E]. Withdrawal signs such as number of jumping, teeth chattering, wet-dog shaking, defecation, body scratching, and standingas number of were counted during 30 minutes after naloxone administration. Animals in exercised groups ran on treadmill one hour daily from 9-10 Am in the morning for ten consecutive days. Sham-exercised groups passed same times on turned off treadmill while its shock delivered system was turned on. At the end of experiments serum corticostrone level and hippocampus neurons count were done after decapitation the animals in all groups. The data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA that followed by LSD post hoc test. The differences between groups were accepted as significant with P value less than 0.05. Addiction to morphine increased withdrawal signs and corticostrone secretion significantly and reduced hipocampal neurons in brain, All off which were significant. Forced exercise could inhibit certain withdrawal signs induced by morphine deprivation in addicted rats while could not reverse increased corticostrone level and decreased hippocampus neurons. Despite of useful effects of forced exercise on health conditions and especially cognition during aging, it would cause impair severely some neurobehavioral and hormonal disorders in addicted rats to morphine