Introduction: Today, using non-pharmacological methods such as wet cupping and physical training plays an important role in prevention and treatment of many diseases. This study aimed to compare the effect of wet cupping with that of intensive aerobic workout on HDL and LDL levels in young male athletes.
Methods: 24 handball players with average age of 24.17± 0.75 participated in this quasi-experimental study. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups: workout group (N=12), and wet cupping group (N=12). Informed written consents were obtained from all the participants. The participants in the workout group were divided into two teams of six members and then played a handball game as an intensive aerobic workout with an intensity of 90% maximum heart rate. The participants in the wet cupping group were cupped by a trained person. Levels of HDL and LDL were measured before, immediately and 24 hours after workout and cupping. The data were analyzed by SPSS 16 using repeated measures ANOVA at significance level of P≥0.05.
Results: Results showed that the level of LDL significantly decreased in both workout (p=0.003) and cupping groups (p=0.006). On the other hand, although HDL level considerably increased in both workout (p=0.24) and wet cupping groups (p=0.61), the difference was not significant.
Conclusion: It seems that an intensive aerobic workout can be more effective than wet cupping in decreasing LDL levels.