# Efficacy of high-intensity interval training for improving mental health and health-related quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

PMID: 36810865
Journal: Scientific reports
Published: 2023 Feb 21
Authors: Patten RK, McIlvenna LC, Moreno-Asso A, Hiam D, Stepto NK, Rosenbaum S, Parker AG

## Question

Does HIIT improve mental health and health-related quality of life more than work-matched moderate continuous training in overweight women with PCOS?

## Summary

In overweight women with PCOS, 12 weeks of supervised cycling HIIT reduced depression, anxiety, and stress scores and improved several quality-of-life domains. Moderate continuous cycling improved stress and some quality-of-life domains. HIIT improved anxiety more than MICT, but the mental-health analysis was secondary and the sample was small.

## Population

- Overweight premenopausal women with diagnosed PCOS who were insufficiently active before enrollment.
- Sample size: 29
- Age: 18-45 years; group means 29.7 and 32.5 years
- Sex: Female
- Fitness level: Insufficiently active for at least 6 months
- Health status: PCOS diagnosed by Rotterdam criteria; BMI 25-50 kg/m2

## Methodology

- Secondary analysis of a two-arm randomized clinical trial
- 12 weeks
- Supervised cycle-ergometer exercise trial at Victoria University
- Randomized and controlled study design.

## Protocol

- Cycling HIIT.
- Modality: Electronically braked cycle ergometer.
- Work intervals: Two weekly sessions of 12 x 1 min and one weekly session of 8 x 4 min.
- Recovery: 1 min active recovery for 1-min intervals; 2 min active recovery for 4-min intervals.
- Sets or repetitions: Three sessions/week: two 12 x 1 min sessions and one 8 x 4 min session.
- Intensity: 90-100% HRpeak for 1-min intervals; 90-95% HRpeak for 4-min intervals.
- Session duration: Warm-up and cool-down 5 min each; interval duration varied by session.
- Frequency: 3 sessions/week.
- Program length: 12 weeks.
- Progression: Progressed from 312 to 530 MET-min/week by week 4.
- Moderate continuous training.
- Modality: Cycle ergometer.
- Sets or repetitions: Continuous cycling.
- Intensity: 60-75% HRpeak.
- Session duration: 45 min plus 5-min warm-up and 5-min cool-down.
- Frequency: 3 sessions/week.
- Program length: 12 weeks.
- Progression: MET-min/week matched to HIIT progression.

## Outcomes

### Depression
Status: improved
HIIT reduced depression scores; MICT did not reach significance.

HIIT 5.5 +/- 3.6 to 3.5 +/- 2.9, p=0.005; MICT p=0.070; interaction p=0.479

### Anxiety
Status: improved
HIIT reduced anxiety and improved more than MICT.

HIIT 6.5 +/- 4.6 to 3.2 +/- 4.1, p<0.001; MICT p=0.098; group x time p=0.020

### Stress
Status: improved
Both HIIT and MICT reduced stress scores.

HIIT p=0.003; MICT p=0.001; interaction p=0.641

### Quality of life
Status: mixed
HIIT and MICT improved multiple PCOSQ and SF-36 domains, with no significant between-group differences for these domains.

HIIT improved PCOSQ emotions, weight, menstrual problems and SF-36 physical functioning, role emotional, energy, general health; MICT improved PCOSQ emotions/weight and SF-36 role emotional/general health

### VO2peak
Status: improved
VO2peak improved in both groups, with a significant time-by-group interaction favoring HIIT.

HIIT 24.8 +/- 5.7 to 30.8 +/- 6.7; MICT 22.3 +/- 3.2 to 26.1 +/- 4.1; both p<0.001; interaction p=0.017

## Practical Insights

- HIIT may be a time-efficient supervised option for improving anxiety and overall mental-health scores in overweight women with PCOS.
- Both vigorous and moderate cycling improved HRQoL domains, so intensity may be less important for quality-of-life outcomes than exercise participation.
- High adherence and no adverse events were reported under supervised conditions.

## Limitations

- Secondary analysis not powered for mental-health outcomes.
- Small sample with 24 completers.
- No non-exercise control group.
- No long-term follow-up.
- Many women using hormonal contraceptives were ineligible, limiting generalizability.

## Safety And Adherence

- No adverse events occurred during the study period.
- One HIIT participant withdrew due to an injury sustained at work, not during the intervention, and another became pregnant.

## Original Sources

- [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36810865/) (pubmed)
- [DOI](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29503-1) (doi)
- [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9944288/) (full text)

## Agent Guidance

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