# Muscle irisin response to aerobic vs HIIT in overweight female adolescents

PMID: 29299068
Journal: Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome
Published: 2017-12-28
Authors: Archundia-Herrera C, Macias-Cervantes M, Ruiz-Muñoz B, Vargas-Ortiz K, Kornhauser C, Perez-Vazquez V

## Question

Does one bout of cycling HIIT produce different acute skeletal muscle and plasma irisin responses than one bout of moderate aerobic cycling in overweight or obese sedentary adolescent girls?

## Summary

In sedentary overweight or obese adolescent girls, a single cycling HIIT session increased irisin protein in skeletal muscle measured 30 minutes after exercise, whereas a moderate aerobic cycling session did not. Plasma irisin and routine metabolic markers did not change.

## Population

- Sedentary overweight or obese female adolescents recruited from public schools.
- Sample size: 30
- Age: 14-18 years; HIIT 16.13 +/- 1.64 years and aerobic 15.47 +/- 1.73 years.
- Sex: Female adolescents only.
- Fitness level: Sedentary, defined as 90 minutes or less of exercise per week in the prior 2 months; low cardiorespiratory fitness.
- Health status: Overweight or obesity without muscle alterations, relevant weight-affecting treatments, alcohol or drug use, and with ECG screening.

## Methodology

- Acute randomized controlled exercise comparison with pre/post muscle biopsy and blood sampling.
- Single exercise session with post-exercise sampling 30 minutes after exercise.
- University/clinical exercise laboratory in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.
- Randomized and controlled study design.

## Protocol

- Acute cycling HIIT.
- Modality: Cycle ergometer.
- Work intervals: 1 minute at 85-95% HRpeak.
- Recovery: 1 minute easy-intensity recovery.
- Sets or repetitions: Six high-intensity bouts.
- Intensity: 85-95% HRpeak obtained during baseline VO2peak test.
- Session duration: 5-minute warm-up plus 12-minute interval block; cool-down not specified for HIIT.
- Frequency: Single acute bout.
- Program length: Single session.
- Progression: No progression; acute comparison.
- Acute moderate aerobic cycling.
- Modality: Cycle ergometer.
- Work intervals: Continuous cycling for 40 minutes.
- Sets or repetitions: One continuous bout.
- Intensity: 65% HRpeak.
- Session duration: 5-minute warm-up, 40 minutes at target HR, 5-minute cool-down.
- Frequency: Single acute bout.
- Program length: Single session.
- Progression: No progression; acute comparison.

## Outcomes

### Skeletal muscle irisin
Status: improved
Muscle irisin increased after the HIIT session but not after the aerobic session.

HIIT irisin/tubulin 0.51 +/- 0.48 to 0.94 +/- 0.69, p < 0.05; aerobic 0.48 +/- 0.39 to 0.68 +/- 0.64, p = 0.3; group interaction p < 0.05.

### Plasma irisin
Status: no clear change
Plasma irisin did not significantly change after either exercise session.

HIIT 3.59 +/- 1.29 to 3.70 +/- 1.26 ng/mL; aerobic 3.66 +/- 0.80 to 3.56 +/- 0.69 ng/mL; repeated-measures ANOVA p = 0.62.

### Metabolic variables
Status: no clear change
Routine metabolic markers did not significantly change after either acute session.

No significant changes observed for glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, lipids, or triglycerides.

## Practical Insights

- This is mechanistic acute evidence, not evidence of training adaptation or user-facing health outcomes.
- A 6 x 1-minute HIIT format can be sufficient to alter a muscle signaling marker acutely.
- Blood biomarkers may miss transient or local muscle responses depending on sampling timing.

## Limitations

- Acute single-session design.
- Small sample.
- Female adolescents with overweight/obesity only.
- Energy expenditure was not matched between exercise groups.
- Plasma irisin was not measured during exercise or immediately at exercise cessation.
- Outcomes were molecular/surrogate rather than clinical or performance outcomes.

## Safety And Adherence

- A 12-lead ECG was obtained before exercise testing to rule out contraindications.
- The article did not report exercise-related adverse events.
- Muscle biopsies were performed with ultrasound guidance and local anesthetic.

## Original Sources

- [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29299068/) (pubmed)
- [DOI](https://doi.org/10.1186/s13098-017-0302-5) (doi)
- [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5746008/) (full text)

## Agent Guidance

Preserve the paper-level scope of this note. Do not generalize beyond the population, protocol, measured outcomes, and limitations above.