Effects of high intensity intermittent training on lipid profile and blood glucose overweight/obese university students
Question
What are the effects of high-intensity intermittent training on lipid profile and blood glucose in overweight or obese university students?
Summary
In overweight or obese university students, 20 sessions of circuit-style high-intensity intermittent training lowered fasting glucose and produced favorable but mostly non-significant lipid changes. The protocol used 50-minute sessions, three times per week, with bodyweight and gym-circuit movements rather than machine cycling or running intervals.
Methodology
- Overweight or obese university gym students
- 30 participants.
- Mixed gym/bodyweight circuits.
- Work intervals: Two 15-min circuits; individual exercise timing not reported.
- Recovery: 2 min between circuits.
- Intensity: 70-90%.
- 50 min.
- 3 sessions/week.
- 20 sessions.
- Quasi-experimental randomized group intervention
- Lipid profile, and Glucose were tracked.
Outcomes
Glucose
Glucose decreased significantly in the experimental HIIT group.
Experimental pre 101.37 to post 97.40 +/- 5.30, p=0.00 in table; abstract reports p=0.001.
HDL
HDL rose in the experimental group and was reported significant.
Experimental 42.30 +/- 9.29 to 44.20 +/- 9.11, p=0.00.
LDL
LDL decreased in the experimental group but did not reach statistical significance.
92.50 +/- 20.81 to 87.00 +/- 21.37, p=0.08.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides decreased slightly in the experimental group but were not significant.
105.50 +/- 47.60 to 100.30 +/- 45.26, p=0.72.
Insights
- Circuit HIIT may be a practical gym format for young overweight users, but movement choice needs scaling.
- Glucose claims are better supported than broad lipid-profile claims.
Limitations
- Diet not controlled
- Genetic aspects and additional exercise routines not controlled
- Small sample size
- Intensity measurement and exercise timing are incompletely specified
Safety
- No adverse events were reported in the extracted article text.
- Two participants were excluded for incomplete intervention sessions.