Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise and garlic supplementation on fatigue and cardiovascular risk factors in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Twenty-eight patients who fulfilled the European League Against Rheumatism- American College of Rheumatology (EULAR-ACR) criteria for RA were assigned to three groups, exercise + placebo (E+P) (n = 6), exercise + garlic supplement 500 mg twice/day (E+G), (n = 11) and garlic supplement 500 mg twice/day (G), (n = 11) for 8 weeks. The training program consisted of working on an ergometer 3 sessions/week with a heart rate equal to 60% of VO2max and gradual overload. The outcomes of this study were a comparison of changes in the mean value of the fatigue assessment questionnaire score (FSI), cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. For data analysis, paired t-tests and ANCOVA were used using SPSS software (P ≤ 0.05). The results of the paired t-test showed that after the intervention, the levels of fatigue decreased in the E+G (P = 0.025) as well as in the G (P = 0.002), while it did not change in the E+P (P = 0.151). Additionally, the amount of cholesterol did not change in any of the study groups, and the amount of LDL decreased only in E+G (p=0.028). Furthermore, ANCOVA analysis showed that, there is no significant difference between the study groups in the levels of fatigue (P = 0.962), cholesterol (P = 0.922) and LDL (P = 0.626) after the intervention. According to the results, aerobic exercise and the consumption of garlic can be effective in reducing fatigue and the risk factors of cardiovascular.

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