Effect of Adding Natural Honey Intake to Continuous Aerobic Exercise on Lipid Profile in Overweight Men

Objective: This study aimed to assess the effect of adding natural honey intake to continuous aerobic exercise on lipid profile in overweight men. Methods: Sixty overweight men aged 40-50 years old were randomly assigned into one of two groups: study or control groups. The study group (n=30) received 40-minute continuous aerobic exercise on the treadmill three times weekly plus oral honey intake thrice daily. The control group (n=30) received only the aerobic exercise. Patients' waist-hip ratio (WHR), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), atherogenic index of plasma  (AIP), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC), body mass index (BMI), and triglycerides (TG) were assessed in both overweight groups. Results: After the 12-week intervention, a significant improvement of BMI, TC, TG, WHR, LDL, AIP, and HDL was documented within both overweight groups, but a better improvement was detected in the study group (the group of oral honey intake). Post-treatment between-group comparison of all outcomes (BMI, TC, TG, WHR, LDL, AIP, and HDL) showed a significant improvement in the direction of the study group. Conclusion: It could be concluded from this trial that adding a 12-week oral honey intake to aerobic exercise maximizes the improvement of lipid profile gained from aerobic exercise alone in overweight men.