Interactive effect of aerobic training and ginseng supplementation on brain-derived neurotrophic factor in 15-18 years old girls

Background and Objective: Neurotrophins are a family of growth factors that are primarily identified by their ability to protect neuronal survival. The family of neurotrophins consists of 4 proteins, one of which is the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of 6-week aerobic training and ginseng supplementation on BDNF in 15-18 years old girls.   Materials and Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of this study was all girls aged 15-18 years in Zahedan, 46 of whom were voluntarily and purposefully selected. They were randomly divided into four groups of exercise, exercise + supplement, supplement, and control. The training protocol consisted of 6 weeks of running the gym (3 times a week) for 25 to 40 minutes, with 60-70% of the heart rate reserve. Subjects in the supplemented groups consumed Ginseng trace 500 mg daily (250 mg in the morning and 250 mg in the evening). Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc test and t-test. P<0.05 was considered as significant.   Results: BDNF levels were significantly increased after six weeks of aerobic exercise and ginseng supplementation in the exercise + supplement group as compared to the other groups. Also, the baseline values of BDNF indices were improved in training, supplement + training and supplement groups (P <0.05). There was no change in this index in the control group (P >0.05).   Conclusion: It seems that aerobic exercise and ginseng supplementation have a significant effect on BDNF improvement. This increase was observed in all study groups except the control group, which showed the effect of exercise and ginseng independently on BDNF.