PMID 35109880

Research
All papers

Effects of high-intensity interval training on improving arterial stiffness in Chinese female university students with normal weight obese: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Hu J, Liu M, Yang R, Wang L, Liang L, Yang Y, Jia S, Chen R, Liu Q, Ren Y, Zhu L, Cai M

Question

Can short-term HIIT improve body composition, blood pressure, lipid metabolism, and arterial stiffness indices in Chinese female university students with normal-weight obesity?

Summary

Chinese female university students with normal-weight obesity completed four weeks of coach-guided bodyweight HIIT five times per week. Compared with health-education control, HIIT improved body composition, blood pressure, lipids, and noninvasive arterial-stiffness indices, with no adverse exercise events reported.

Methodology

  • Chinese female university students with normal-weight obesity
  • 40 participants.
  • Bodyweight circuit.
  • Work intervals: 40 s per movement.
  • Recovery: 20 s between movements; 1 min between bouts.
  • Intensity: 90% HRmax.
  • 10-min warm-up + 3 x 9-min circuits with rests + 10-min stretching.
  • 5 sessions/week.
  • 4 weeks after acclimatization.
  • Pilot randomized controlled trial
  • Body composition, Blood pressure, Lipids, and Arterial stiffness were tracked.

Outcomes

Body composition

HIIT improved multiple body-composition indices including BMI, body fat, skeletal muscle mass, fat-free mass, and InBody score.

Article reports statistically significant improvements after 4 weeks; exact p values by variable in tables.

Improved

Blood pressure

HIIT decreased resting HR and BP.

Article reports statistically significant decreases.

Improved

Lipids

HIIT reduced TC, TG, LDL, and TC/HDL and increased HDL.

Article reports significant improvements and normalization of several lipid indices.

Improved

Arterial stiffness

AVI and API decreased after HIIT, suggesting lower arterial-stiffness propensity.

Article reports AVI and API were markedly/significantly decreased to normal ranges.

Improved

Safety

No adverse exercise events were observed.

No clear change

Insights

  • A 40/20 bodyweight circuit can be delivered with an onboarding week and HR monitoring.
  • High-frequency HIIT should include screening, warm-up, cooldown, and coach oversight.

Limitations

  • Small pilot sample
  • Higher control attrition
  • Dietary intake not monitored
  • No DXA
  • No endothelial function/female hormone measures
  • Fingerstick lipids instead of lab blood testing

Safety

  • No muscle injury, overfatigue, syncope, palpitation, angina, abnormal BP fluctuation, nausea, vomiting, or dyspnea occurred during HIIT.
  • Exercise risk assessment and acclimatization were emphasized.