# The Acute Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Oxidative Stress Markers and Phagocyte Oxidative Burst Activity in Young Professional Athletes and Non-Athlete University Students

PMID: 41598239
Journal: Life (Basel, Switzerland)
Published: 2026 Jan 6
Authors: Balogh L, Szklenár E, Diós Á, Arany AC, Pucsok JM, Bács ZM, Rátgéber L, Csiki Z, Gyetvai Á, Papp G

## Question

How does one treadmill HIIT session affect oxidative stress markers and phagocyte oxidative burst activity in professional athletes compared with non-athlete university students?

## Summary

A single supervised treadmill HIIT session produced small acute increases in some antioxidant enzymes in professional male football players, increased nitrite/nitrate and neutrophil counts in both athletes and untrained students, and did not change lipid peroxidation or neutrophil oxidative burst within groups.

## Population

- Hungarian young adult men: professional football players and untrained university students.
- Sample size: 21
- Age: Athletes 22.1 +/- 4.5 years; controls 21.6 +/- 2.3 years
- Sex: Men only
- Fitness level: Athletes trained about 6 x 90 min/week plus matches; controls reported about 2 x 90 min exercise/week.
- Health status: Young adults screened by structured physician interview; smoking, addiction, infection, chronic disease, and continuous medication were exclusionary.

## Methodology

- Acute pre-post group comparison
- Single acute session
- Laboratory treadmill testing with pre/post blood sampling
- Controlled study design.

## Protocol

- Acute treadmill HIIT.
- Modality: Treadmill.
- Work intervals: 45 s exercise.
- Recovery: 45 s active recovery walking at 4 km/h, 0% incline.
- Sets or repetitions: 10 cycles.
- Intensity: Gradually 75%-85% maximal effort/heart-rate reserve.
- Session duration: About 25 min including warm-up.
- Frequency: Single session.
- Program length: Single acute session.
- Progression: Manual speed adjustments to target heart-rate reserve zone.
- Training-status comparator.
- Modality: Same treadmill HIIT in non-athlete controls.
- Work intervals: 45 s exercise.
- Recovery: 45 s active recovery walking.
- Sets or repetitions: 10 cycles.
- Intensity: 75%-85% maximal effort/heart-rate reserve.
- Session duration: About 25 min including warm-up.
- Frequency: Single session.
- Program length: Single acute session.
- Progression: Same protocol.

## Outcomes

### Antioxidant enzymes
Status: mixed
SOD and CAT increased only in athletes; GPx did not change.

Athletes: SOD 2.09 to 2.21 U/mL, p=0.037; CAT 32.94 to 45.45 nmol/min/mL, p=0.034.

### Nitrite/nitrate
Status: improved
Nitrite/nitrate increased in both groups.

Athletes p=0.029; controls p=0.016.

### Oxidative burst
Status: no clear change
Oxidative burst did not change within groups, but athletes were higher than controls.

Athletes vs controls: pre p=0.029, post p=0.047.

## Practical Insights

- A 10 x 45 s / 45 s active recovery structure can be used as a compact treadmill HIIT format.
- Training background can change acute biomarker responses even when the external protocol is similar.
- Biomarker shifts should not be framed as direct health benefits.

## Limitations

- Small sample
- Men only
- Acute only
- Immediate post-exercise sampling only
- No clinical or performance outcomes
- No adverse-event reporting

## Safety And Adherence

- Adverse events were not reported.
- Participants were screened by physician interview and excluded for smoking, infection, chronic disease requiring continuous medication, or addiction.
- The acute treadmill session was supervised and heart-rate monitored, but dropout and adherence details were not reported.

## Original Sources

- [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41598239/) (pubmed)
- [DOI](https://doi.org/10.3390/life16010084) (doi)
- [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12843492/) (full text)

## Agent Guidance

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