Background: Beetroot juice (BRJ) contains various bioactive compounds suggested to be effective in improving athlete recovery. However, the number of studies evaluating the effects of BRJ on recovery and muscle soreness (MS) indicators in female athletes is limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effects of BRJ consumption on the performance recovery indicators and MS after exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) in female volleyball players. Methods: Twelve young female volleyball players were evaluated in this study. We utilized a randomized, cross-over, and double-blind design during two phases with a 30-day interval (wash-out). During each phase, EIMD was performed first, followed by BRJ or placebo (PLA) supplementation for two days (eight servings of 50 mL). Recovery monitoring of performance indicators and MS was performed after EIMD. The results of wall-sit, V sit and reach (VSFT), vertical jump height (VJH), pressure pain threshold (PPT), and thigh swelling (Sw-T) tests were recorded 48 h after EIMD. Also, the Perceived Muscle Soreness was recorded using the visual analog scale (VAS) 12 (MS-12 h), 24 (MS-24 h), and 48 (MS-48 h) hours after EIMD. Results: The data were analyzed using two-way repeated measures of ANOVA at p < 0.05. Compared to PLA, BRJ supplementation improves wall-sit performance after EIMD (p < 0.05), while reducing Sw-T and perceived muscle soreness (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed between PLA and BRJ in VJH and VSFT performance after EIMD (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the consumption of BRJ in female volleyball players can be useful for improving some recovery indicators, such as muscle endurance, perceived muscle soreness, and tissue edema, after EIMD.

Aim. Exercise is commonly cited as a remedy for menstrual symptoms. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a period of exercise on physical and psychological symptoms of menstruation, dysmenorrhea, oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea. Methods. Participants of the study were 250 students of Shiraz University who enrolled in a fitness course. The study design was semi-experimental with one group. Prior and after 12 weeks of a physical fitness program, our subjects completed questionnaires on menstrual distress. The physical fitness training program included physical fitness exercises (cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, agility, speed, strength; duration: 90 min, frequency: twice weekly, intensity: 50 to 70% of maximum heart rate). The t test was used for analysis of the data. Results. Physical premenstrual symptoms (p = 0.005), psychological premenstrual symptoms (p = 0.019), dysmenorrhea (p = 0.0001) and oligomenorrhea (p = 0.034) were significantly reduced after the training program. There was no difference in the incidence of amenorrhea before and after the training program (p = 0.162). Conclusion. Our findings indicate that selected physical fitness exercises positively influenced menstrual symptoms.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between daily physical activity (daily activities, exercise, and sitting time), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and body composition (body mass index [BMI], waist to hip ratio [WHR)] with menopausal symptoms and to determine the strongest predictor(s) of menopausal symptoms. Methods: The Menopause Rating Scale questionnaire was used to examine somatic, psychological, urogenital, and total symptoms of menopause. The energy expenditure of daily physical activity, exercise, and sitting time was measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and CRF was measured by estimating the maximal oxygen intake (VO₂max) through the Rockport test. Statistical methods of the Pearson correlation coefficient and hierarchical multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. Results: Fifty-six women, aged 50 to 65 years, voluntarily participated in the study. Exercise energy expenditure was inversely correlated with total (r = −0.403, P = 0.002), somatic (r = −0.293, P = 0.023), and urogenital (r = −0.343, P = 0.009) symptoms of menopause. VO₂max was inversely correlated with urogenital symptoms of menopause (r = −0.414, P = 0.002). WHR was positively correlated with somatic symptoms of menopause (r = 0.286, P = 0.032); sitting was correlated with total (r = 0.40, P = 0.002), somatic (r = 0.325, P = 0.015), and psychological (r = 0.274, P = 0.015) symptoms of menopause. Among the study variables, sitting (β=0.365, P = 0.004) and VO₂max (β=−0.286, P = 0.030) were the most important predictors of total symptoms of menopause; sitting was the predictor of somatic symptoms (β=0.265, P = 0.045), and VO₂max was the predictor of urogenital symptoms of menopause (β=−0.332, P = 0.014). The inclusion of age, BMI, WHR, and duration of menopause as confounding variables in regression analysis did not change the findings related to the predictions of menopausal symptoms. Conclusion: Reducing sitting time, improving VO₂max, decreasing WHR, and exercise can be recommended by priority to alleviate menopausal symptoms. Considering the small number of participants in this investigation, future studies are, however, recommended.

Evidence supports the role of exercise training and probiotics on reducing obesity. Considering the relationship between obesity and high-fat diet with anxiety indices, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of probiotic supplementation and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on anxiety-like behaviors, corticosterone and obesity indices in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mice. Thirty male adult C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups: (1) Control with normal diet (CON), (2) High-fat diet (HFD), (3) HFD + exercise training (HT), (4) HFD + probiotics supplement (HP) and (5) HFD + exercise training +probiotics (HTP). Exercise training consisted of 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) programs. Probiotics supplement included 0.2 mL Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Anxiety-like behaviors were measured by open field (OF) and Elevated plus maze (EPM). OF and EPM tests, visceral fat mass (VFM) measurement, and blood sampling for corticosterone were performed after the intervention. Bodyweight was measured at different stages during the intervention. HFD regime in C57BL/6 mice increased bodyweight, VFM, and serum corticosterone levels and anxiety-like behaviors (p < 0.05). HIIT, probiotic and their combination, decreased bodyweight, VFM, and serum corticosterone levels and improved anxiety-like behavior in the HFD mice (p < 0.05). The effect of a combination of HIIT and probiotic on most of the anxiety indices was more than each one separately (p < 0.5). HIIT and probiotic supplements separately or above all in combination, may have beneficial effects in reducing obesity and anxiety indices.

Background: Cytokines play an important role in modulating the muscle’s metabolic and immunological responses to exercise. Objectives: In the present study, we investigated changes in the serum levels of Interleukin (IL)-15 as well as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), as markers of inflammation, in athlete and non-athlete young men following eccentric (ECC) and concentric (CON) emphasized resistance exercise (RE). Patients and Methods: This study recruited 28 young males, 14 athletes and 14 non-athletes. Subjects completed two bouts of ECC and CON emphasized RE five days apart. Each bout included seven exercises that emphasized all major muscle groups with weight loads of 70% - 80% of one repetition maximum (1RM) for CON RE and 90% - 100% of 1RM for ECC RE. We analyzed subjects’ blood samples before and immediately after each bout of exercise to determine cytokine and hs-CRP serum levels according to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between IL-15 serum levels before and after ECC and CON RE in non-athletes (P = 0.03). In athletes, IL-15 serum level only increased after ECC RE (P = 0.01), which was noted to be the highest degree of change in IL-15 levels in all subjects. For athletes, the hs-CRP levels significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The serum levels of both TNF-α and hs-CRP were also significantly down-regulated after ECC RE in non-athletes. Conclusions: These results indicated that fitness level and RE could modulate circulating levels of IL-15 and suggest the potential anti-inflammatory effects of IL-15 during RE. Keywords: Concentric and Eccentric; Training; Tumor Necrosis Factor; Resistance; Exercise; Interleukin 15; Athlete

This study assessed the effect of swimming training on anxiety-like behaviors and corticosterone. Thirty adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to five study conditions: swimming training (ST); exposure to chronic mild stress (CS); exposure to chronic mild stress followed by swimming training (CS + ST); exposure to chronic mild stress followed by a recovery period (CS + recovery); control. The exercise training consisted of 60 min of swimming exercise per day, for five days a week, and four consecutive weeks. A chronic mild stress program (CMS) was applied for a period of four weeks. Anxiety-like behaviors were measured by open field test (OFT). The number of excrements and blood corticosterone were used as physiological parameters of anxiety. To assess corticosterone, blood samples were taken 48 h after the last session of experiments. Compared to other study conditions, the lowest anxiety-like behaviors and corticosterone concentrations were observed in the ST condition in unstressed rats. In stressed rats, as in the ST + CS group, swimming training probably reduced some anxiety behaviors, but the results showed increased corticosterone compared to control and CS + Recovery. Anxiety parameters and corticosterone concentrations were greatest in the CS condition. In the ST group, anxiety parameters were less than for the ST + CS group. In the CS + Recovery group, anxiety parameters were less than for the CS group. In summary, self-paced swimming training could attenuate some anxiety parameters in both stressed and non-stressed rats. The effect of swimming training in unstressed rats was more prominent than in stressed rats. In stressed rats, a period of recovery was more effective than swimming training in reducing corticosterone. Mechanisms of anxiety reduction other than cortisol should be investigated in future research.