Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Period of Aerobic Training and Vitamin D Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women with Metabolic Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory markers of blood are critical predictors of chronic diseases as well as exacerbating risk factors. Exercise is a well-known strategy to reduce the risk of inflammation and chronic disease. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of a period of aerobic training and vitamin D supplementation (AT + Vit D) in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome. METHODS: This quasi-experimental research was performed on forty-six patients with metabolic syndrome who were selected according to the available sampling method, and were randomly divided into four groups: AT + Vit D (50,000 IU), AT, Vit D (50,000 IU), and control (C). The training protocol consisted of 40–60 min of AT 60–75% of maximal heart rate, three times a week, for 8 weeks. One-way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test were used to compare the between and within groups; the Bonferroni post hoc test was used if significant differences were found. RESULTS: The combination of exercise and vitamin D significantly reduced C-reactive protein (CRP) (P = 0.001), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (P = 0.001), and improved the metabolic syndrome indices (P = 0.001 in all indices). The results also show that the improvement in the metabolic syndrome indices, CRP, and IL-6 was more significant in AT + Vit D, compared to AT or Vit D alone. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from the present study suggested that a sedentary lifestyle and vitamin D deficiency accelerated the occurrence of metabolic syndrome probably by increasing the anti-inflammatory. Additionally, adequate levels of plasma vitamin D are necessary to achieve the beneficial metabolic effects of AT.