INTRODUCTION: Today, diabetes is one of the main problems in the world. Type-2 diabetes is more common among overweight and obese individuals, and obesity is a serious health concern. In addition to the importance of exercise in diabetes management, some supplements may influence inflammatory factors. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of 8 weeks of endurance training combined with purslane seed supplementation on the pro-inflammatory factors IL-6 and CRP in middle-aged type-2 diabetic men on the threshold of obesity. METHODS: In this semi-experimental study, 40 male patients with type 2 diabetes, aged between 40 and 65 years and with fasting blood glucose levels above 120 mg/dL, were selected and randomly divided into four groups of 10 participants: control, exercise, exercise plus supplement, and supplement groups. The participants had no history of regular physical activity (during the previous six months) or consumption of purslane and were pre-obese (BMI between 28 and 30). The exercise groups performed walking sessions three times per week for 8 weeks, starting at 30 minutes per session in the first week and progressing to 45 minutes by the eighth week, at an intensity of 50 to 70% of heart rate reserve. The supplement groups received 7.5 g/day of purslane seeds for 8 weeks. The control group did not perform any exercise or receive any supplements during 8 weeks. A paired t-test was used to compare pre- and post-test results. To examine differences between the four groups, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used, and when significant differences were found, Bonferroni post hoc tests were applied to identify intergroup differences at a significance level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: The results of covariance analysis showed a significant difference in CRP (p = 0.000). Bonferroni's post hoc test indicated significant differences between the exercise-supplement and placebo exercise groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in IL-6 levels. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that the consumption of purslane seeds in combination with exercise improved the inflammatory marker CRP, which may help reduce cardiovascular risk. Therefore, purslane seed supplementation combined with exercise may be an effective approach for middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes on the verge of obesity, although endurance training alone demonstrated greater efficacy than purslane supplementation alone.

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