Liver enzyme changes following the consumption of ginger and eccentric exercise in overweight girls

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of two weeks ginger supplement on some liver enzymes including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) following eccentric activity in overweight girls. Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 28 overweight female students were randomly divided into two complementary (n=14) and placebo (n=14) groups. The supplement group consumed 2 grams of ginger powder daily for two weeks. The exercise protocol consisted of two sessions of exhausting activity (negative slope on treadmill, one session before and one session after two weeks of supplementation) with an initial speed of 4 km/h and an initial gradient of 2. Blood samples were measured in four stages before and immediately after the exercise in two steps before and after the use of ginger supplement to measure changes in liver enzymes. Results: The results showed that eccentric activity increased the AST, ALP and ALT levels. Also, there was no significant difference in the AST, ALP and ALT levels between the supplement and placebo groups after two weeks of ginger supplementation (P≥0.05). Conclusion: It seems that the use of ginger had a small effect in the improvement of liver enzyme serum levels. Therefore, the intensity and duration of the effective exercise, especially when consuming ginger, needs to be further investigate