Examining Effects of Pilates Workout and Jujube Supplementation on Liver Fat Content, Enzymes, and Platelet Count

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the fastest-growing health issues worldwide. This study aimed to assess the effect of an eight-week Pilates exercise program and jujube supplementation on liver fat content, liver enzymes, and platelet count in women with NAFLD. Materials and Methods: The current work is a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study with a control group. Forty middle-aged women with NAFLD were selected via purposive sampling and allocated randomly to four equal groups, including jujube, Pilates, Pilates+jujube, and control. Liver enzymes measurement, platelet count, and ultrasonography were conducted to determine the fatty liver degree 24 hours before and 48 hours after the intervention. The Pilates protocol was performed three sessions weekly for eight weeks. The jujube supplementation group and the Pilates+jujube group consumed .4 g/kg jujube daily in the morning and evening. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software, using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov, ANOVA, and dependent t-test. The level of significance was set at P .05. Results: AST, platelet count, waist-to-hip ratio, and fat levels in the Pilates, jujube, and Pilates+jujube groups changed significantly compared with the control group and baseline values (P .05). Conclusion: Pilates exercise and jujube consumption can lower serum enzyme concentrations along with fat content of the liver and raise blood platelet count. As a result, they may be regarded as efficient techniques to treat NAFLD.