The effect of aquatic training and vitamin D3 supplementation on bone metabolism in postmenopausal obese women.

Purpose: Despite prevalence of studies indicating the positive effect of land-based exercise on bone metabolism, there are limited findings regarding the effect of aquatic exercise. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of aquatic training and vitamin D3 supplementation on femur bone mineral density (BMD), serum 25(OH)D, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) in postmenopausal obese women with vitamin D insufficiency. Methods: 40 postmenopausal obese women were randomly divided into four groups of aquatic training + vitamin D3 intake group; (ATD), aquatic training with placebo intake group (AT), vitamin D3 intake group (D), and control group with placebo intake (CON). AT groups performed aerobic aquatic exercises for 8 weeks. Vitamin D3 supplementation groups consumed oral dose of 4000 IU/d for 8 weeks. Results: The femur BMD was significantly higher in the ATD than the AT and D and CON groups; in AT it was higher than the D and CON groups. Serum 25(OH)D level in the ATD was more than AT and CON, and in the D was more than the CON and AT. PTH in the ATD group was lower compared to AT, D, and CON groups. PTH was lower in the AT and D compared to the CON. Conclusion: In postmenopausal obese women with vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency, combining vitamin D supplementation and aquatic training was the most effective method for improving bone metabolism; Vitamin D supplementation (alone) was not sufficient to affect some of bone metabolism indices; Aquatic training could not improve serum vitamin D. By priority, ATD, AT, and D indicated better bone related metabolism indices.

Suppression of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Gene Expression by Curcumin in Patients with Beta-Thalassemia Intermedia.

BACKGROUND: ß-thalassemia is an inherited disorder caused by defects in the synthesis of the beta-globin chain. One of the significant clinical complications in ß-thalassemia intermedia is iron overload toxicity, which may be attributed to reduced levels of hepcidin. This reduction in hepcidin leads to increased absorption of iron in the intestines, ultimately resulting in iron overload. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of curcumin on the expression of growth differentiating factor-15 (GDF-15) and hepcidin genes in patients with beta-thalassemia intermedia. METHODS: This study was designed as a randomized controlled double-blind clinical trial. Prior to and after the intervention period with curcumin, a blood sample of 5 mL was collected from both the placebo and curcumin-treated groups for the assessment of hepcidin and growth differentiating factor-15 gene expression. RESULTS: This study revealed a significant reduction in the expression of growth differentiating factor-15 in the curcumin group compared to the placebo group during the 3-month treatment period. Furthermore, curcumin supplementation led to a remarkable 10.1-fold increase in the levels of hepcidin in the curcumin group compared to the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that curcumin administration increases the mRNA levels of hepcidin in whole blood of thalassemia intermedia patients and supports the idea that curcumin could be a potential treatment to reduce suppression of hepcidin in thalassemias and other iron-loading anemias. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that curcumin administration increases the mRNA levels of hepcidin in whole blood of thalassemia intermedia patients and supports the idea that curcumin could be a potential treatment to reduce suppression of hepcidin in thalassemias and other iron-loading anemias.

The Effect of Curcumin on Iron Overload in Patients with Beta-Thalassemia Intermedia.

BACKGROUND: ß-thalassemia is an inherited disorder that stems from a defect in beta-globin chain synthesis. Iron overload toxicity is one of the major clinical complications in ß-thalassemia that may be due to a reduction in the hepcidin level. As a result, intestinal iron absorption increases and finally iron overload occurs. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of curcumin on serum iron status, ferritin, and transferrin in patients with ß-thalas-semia intermedia. METHODS: This study was a randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial. Before and after the intervention period with curcumin, 5 ml blood was taken for the measurement of the entire index related to iron status. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated the levels of serum iron (p-value < 0.001), ferritin (p-value = 0.002), and transferrin saturation (p-value < 0.001) significantly decreased in the curcumin group compared to placebo. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented in this article show that curcumin supplementation would be effective in alleviating iron overload in patients with ß-thalassemia intermedia.

The effect of curcumin on serum copper, zinc, and zinc/copper ratio in patients with ß-thalassemia intermedia: a randomized double-blind clinical trial.

Thalassemia intermedia is a subgroup of ß-thalassemia which originates from mutations in the beta-globin gene. Zinc and copper play important roles in the metabolism. Due to its significant therapeutic effects, curcumin has led many studies to focus on curcumin. In a double-blind clinical trial study, 30 patients with beta-thalassemia intermedia with an age range of 20 to 35 years were randomly selected 1:1 to receive either curcumin or placebo for 3 months. Before and after the intervention period, 5 ml of blood was taken to determine the serum levels of zinc and copper. The laboratory tests were checked at baseline and at the end of the treatment. While the serum levels of zinc and zinc/copper significantly increased, the serum levels of copper decreased after 3 months of curcumin intake. In addition, on the basis of baseline characteristics, a negative correlation was found between zinc and body mass index and positive correlations were identified between copper with triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein. Also, the level of ferritin protein in the curcumin group compared to the placebo group showed a significant decrease after 3 months of curcumin use. Therefore, it could be concluded that curcumin might exert a net protective effect on copper toxicity in thalassemia intermedia patients. The investigation also implicated that curcumin represents an approach to regulating zinc homeostasis and may be useful as a complementary treatment of patients with thalassemia intermedia, especially in patients with zinc deficiency or low serum zinc/copper ratio. Clinical Trial Registration Number: IRCT20190902044668N1.