# Acute Effects of Oatmeal on Exercise-Induced Reactive Oxygen Species Production Following High-Intensity Interval Training in Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PMID: 33375059
Journal: Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
Published: 2020 Dec 22
Authors: Zeng Z, Jendricke P, Centner C, Storck H, Gollhofer A, König D

## Question

Does pre-exercise oatmeal consumption reduce acute ROS production after HIIT in young healthy women?

## Summary

In healthy young women, eating oatmeal about two hours before a bodyweight lower-limb HIIT session reduced the immediate post-exercise rise in reactive oxygen species compared with doing the same HIIT fasted. Lactate rose after HIIT in both groups and perceived exertion was similar.

## Population

- Healthy young women with BMI 18.5-26 kg/m2, body fat above 20%, and regular physical activity no more than 120 min/week
- Sample size: 34
- Age: Analyzed sample n=32: 25.5 +/- 5.1 years, range 21-37
- Sex: Female
- Fitness level: Low to moderately active; no more than 120 min/week regular physical activity
- Health status: Healthy; no ACSM physical activity contraindications

## Methodology

- Repeated-measures randomized single-blind controlled acute trial
- Single morning experiment with 2-hour pre-exercise meal/rest period and 15-minute post-exercise follow-up
- University of Freiburg laboratory
- Randomized and controlled study design.

## Protocol

- Oatmeal before bodyweight HIIT.
- Modality: Squats, lunges, one-legged heel rises.
- Recovery: 30 seconds between sets.
- Sets or repetitions: 3 sets of each exercise.
- Intensity: 2-second execution speed; high-intensity lower-limb bodyweight exercise.
- Frequency: Single session.
- Program length: Single session.
- Progression: None.
- No-meal bodyweight HIIT.
- Modality: Squats, lunges, one-legged heel rises.
- Recovery: 30 seconds between sets.
- Sets or repetitions: 3 sets of each exercise.
- Intensity: 2-second execution speed; high-intensity lower-limb bodyweight exercise.
- Frequency: Single session.
- Program length: Single session.
- Progression: None.

## Outcomes

### ROS
Status: improved
Oatmeal reduced immediate post-HIIT ROS compared with control.

Post-HIIT ROS 0.78 +/- 0.13 versus 0.94 +/- 0.20 uM/min; time x meal p<0.05, eta2=0.234.

### Glucose
Status: mixed
Glucose was higher in the oatmeal group before HIIT and lower immediately after HIIT than in the control group.

RMANOVA p<0.05; pre-HIIT 5.60 +/- 0.65 versus 4.69 +/- 0.34 mmol/L; post-HIIT 4.80 +/- 0.48 versus 5.33 +/- 0.46 mmol/L.

### Lactate
Status: no clear change
Lactate increased after HIIT, but the group interaction was not significant.

RMANOVA p=0.579.

### Borg
Status: no clear change
Perceived exertion increased post-HIIT with no significant group difference.

RMANOVA p=0.987.

## Practical Insights

- A pre-HIIT oatmeal meal may blunt an immediate oxidative-stress marker in healthy young women.
- This bodyweight protocol is more directly app-translatable than ergometer-only HIIT, but the nutrition question is acute and narrow.

## Limitations

- Acute single-session study
- Small female-only healthy sample
- No long-term training or performance outcomes
- Comparator was no meal, not an isocaloric non-oat meal

## Safety And Adherence

- All 34 participants completed the trial, and no adverse events were noted.
- Two participants were excluded from data analysis as ROS outliers rather than because of tolerability.
- The article reported no hypoglycemia (<3.5 mmol/L); participants were screened for ACSM contraindications, pregnancy, smoking, and medications affecting ROS.

## Original Sources

- [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33375059/) (pubmed)
- [DOI](https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10010003) (doi)
- [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7822041/) (full text)

## Agent Guidance

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