Effects of Eight Weeks of Resistance Training and Consumption of Pomegranate on GLP-1, DPP-4 and Glycemic Statuses in Women with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Objectives: Diabetes is one of the metabolic diseases with a significant increase rate in recent decades. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of eight weeks of resistance training and consumption of pomegranate juice on Glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1), dipeptidyl peptidase 4(DPP-4) and glycemic statuses in women with type 2 diabetes (a randomized controlled trial). Materials and Methods: Samples included 40 women with type 2 diabetic aged 45–55 years, who were randomly selected and divided into four major groups of control (n = 10), resistance training (n = 10), pomegranate juice consumption (n = 10) and resistance training and pomegranate juice consumption (n = 10) groups. Resistance training group and resistance training and pomegranate juice consumption group carried out three resistance training sessions for eight weeks, each week with a maximum intensity of 30%. By the end of the Week 18, groups reached 80% of the maximum repetition. The pomegranate juice group received 100 ml of pomegranate juice every day. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out using SPSS Software v.21. Results: Results showed that eight weeks of resistance training with pomegranate juice consumption significantly increased GLP-1, HDL, insulin (p = 0.0001) and decreased DPP-4, LDL and glucose (p = 0.0001) levels in women with type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, results showed that resistance training significantly increased GLP-1 and decreased DDP-4 levels in these women. No significant changes were seen in control group and pomegranate juice consumption in the study variables. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, resistance training with consumption of pomegranate juice effectively improves insulin secretion and glycemic control. This improvement can be attributed to increases in GLP-1 and DDP-4 levels.