Introduction: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood glucose levels and insulin resistance. Lifestyle interventions, including structured exercise and dietary supplements, have been shown to improve metabolic outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and Nigella sativa (black seed) supplementation on serum glucose, insulin, and the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) in rats with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: This semi-experimental study was conducted on 40 rats, which, after a one-week adaptation period, were randomly assigned to five groups: healthy control, diabetic control, HIIT, supplementation, and HIIT + supplementation. Diabetes was induced via intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight. The exercise intervention consisted of 8 weeks of high-intensity interval aerobic training. Nigella sativa extract was administered to the relevant groups via gavage at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight at the end of each training session. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA to compare group means.
Results: The diabetic control group exhibited significantly higher serum glucose and HOMA-IR compared to the healthy control group. Both HIIT and Nigella sativa supplementation individually reduced serum glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR relative to diabetic controls. Notably, the combination of HIIT and Nigella sativa produced the greatest reductions, restoring metabolic parameters close to the levels observed in healthy controls.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that combining exercise and dietary supplementation may exert synergistic effects on metabolic parameters in type 2 diabetes. High-intensity interval training combined with Nigella sativa supplementation could be considered an effective complementary and non-pharmacological approach for managing type 2 diabetes