The Effect of Regular Aerobic Exercise and Garlic Supplementation on Lipid Profile and Blood Pressure in Inactive Subjects

Background: Regular exercise and consuming garlic can independently improve blood pressure and lipid profile. However, combining these lifestyle modifications may be more effective than either intervention alone. Objectives: We examined the combined effect of garlic supplementation and regular exercise on lipid profile and blood pressure in inactive young men. Patients and Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 36 young inactive men (20 - 30 years old) were randomly assigned to one of the following interventions: Garlic (G), Training and Garlic (TG), Placebo (P), and Training and Placebo (TP). Subjects consumed 2 capsules per day which contained 500 mg of garlic powder or placebo. The training groups performed aerobic training including 30 - 45 minutes running at 60 - 75% of maximum heart rate. The exercise training program consisted of running on treadmill 4 times/week. Prior to and after 4 weeks of interventions blood pressure was recorded and blood samples were taken in order to assess lipid profile. Two-way repeated measures analysis and Bonferroni post-hoc test were used to analyze the data. Results: Garlic consumption simultaneous with regular exercise lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure and there was significant difference between TG and P groups (P > 0.05). We observed no significant difference among groups in triglyceride, cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) levels (P > 0.05). Yet, HDL-C levels significantly increased in TG group compared to pre-test levels (P > 0.05). Conclusions: We conclude that the combination of regular aerobic exercise and garlic supplementation might be more effective on blood pressure than either intervention alone.