Effect of High-intensity Interval Training with Royal Jelly Consumption on Serum Levels of Glucose, Insulin, and Insulin Resistance Index of Overweight and Obese Middle-aged Men: A Quasi-experimental Study

Background: Royal jelly is a supplement with various vitamins and active ingredients, which can create good physiological adaptations in the body along with training. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with royal jelly on serum glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance index of overweight and obese middle-aged men. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 60 men were randomly assigned to four groups: (1) control, (2) training, (3) royal jelly, and (4) training + royal jelly. The training and training + royal jelly groups implemented the exercise program. The HIIT protocol included eight weeks of high intensity (85 - 95% of the maximum heart rate) and active rest periods (60 - 70% of the maximal heart rate). The royal jelly group used one 1000 mg capsule daily. Extra-group data analysis was conducted by one-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test, and in-group analysis was carried out by dependent ttest using SPSS version 22 software. A P value 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A significant increase was observed in weight from the pretest to posttest in the groups of royal supplement (P = 0.001), training (P = 0.001), and training + royal supplement (P = 0.0001). However, blood glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance index showed a significant decrease between posttests as well as pretest and posttest groups (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) combined with royal jelly supplementation could improve blood glucose and insulin levels in obese or overweight people prone to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.