The Effect of 12 Weeks of Aerobic Exercise Combined with Anthocyanin Supplementation on Plasma Levels of Inflammatory and Anti-inflammatory Cytokines in Prediabetic Obese Men

Subject Areas : Sport physiology

Reza Naseri Rad ¹ , Seyed Aliakbar Fallahpour Noushabadi ² , Yahya Mohammadnejad Panahkandi ³ , Pegah Houshangi ⁴

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Received: 2025-05-12 Accepted : 2025-09-15 Published : 2025-12-17

Keywords: Aerobic exercise, Anthocyanins, Interleukin6, Interleukin10, Tumor necrosis factor -α,

Abstract :

Low-grade chronic inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of obesity and prediabetes. This study aimed to investigate the combined effect of 12 weeks of aerobic exercise and anthocyanin supplementation on inflammatory, metabolic, and functional indices in prediabetic obese men. In a double-blind, quasi-experimental trial, 60 men aged 40-50 years (BMI: 30-35 kg/m²) were randomly assigned to four groups of 15: 1) Aerobic exercise + Anthocyanin (ET+ANT), 2) Aerobic exercise + Placebo (ET+PLA), 3) Anthocyanin without exercise (ANT), 4) Control (CON). The exercise program consisted of 12 weeks of treadmill running, 3 sessions per week. A daily supplement containing 160 mg of anthocyanins (from black raspberry extract) or a placebo was consumed. Plasma levels of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10, fasting glucose, HbA1c, BMI, and VO2max were measured before and after the intervention. The combined intervention (ET+ANT) led to a significantly greater decrease in IL-6, TNF-α, fasting glucose, and HbA1c, and a greater increase in IL-10 and VO2max compared to the other groups (P<0.05). A decrease in BMI was observed only in the exercise groups. It seems that the combination of aerobic exercise and anthocyanin supplementation, likely through creating synergy in cellular signaling pathways, is a more effective strategy for modulating inflammation, improving glycemic control, and increasing cardiorespiratory fitness in prediabetic obese men and can be considered as a combined protocol in type 2 diabetes prevention programs.

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