Compared to moderate-intensity continuous training, short-term high-intensity interval training demonstrates enhanced effects on metabolic flexibility in adult males with obesity

Background

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of short-term high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous aerobic training (MICT) with matched energy expenditure on metabolic flexibility and other metabolic parameters in adult male individuals with obesity.

Methods

Twenty male individuals with obesity (age: 21.4 ± 1.5 years; body mass index: 31.0 ± 3.6 kg/m²) were enrolled in this crossover design study. Participants were randomly allocated to an intervention sequence of 1) 3 consecutive days of HIIT (30 min, 6 × 2.5 min bouts at 90 % Peak Oxygen Uptake (VO_2peak), alternated with 2.5 min active recovery periods [25 % VO_2peak]), or 2) three consecutive days of MICT (60 min at 50 % VO_2peak), with a washout period of 1 week. Respiratory quotient (RQ), glucose, C-peptide, insulin, and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels were measured both during fasting and throughout a 180 min oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), conducted before and after the intervention. The incremental area under the curve (iAUC) and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) were derived. ΔRQ was defined as the average RQ during the OGTT minus fasting RQ.

Results

Short-term exercise intervention significantly reduced HOMA-IR in male individuals with obesity (P < 0.001) and concurrently increased the Matsuda index (P = 0.001). Both exercise interventions led to a similar decrease in fasting RQ (P = 0.001), C-peptide, insulin, and HOMA-IR (P < 0.001). Additionally, they reduced the iAUC for glucose and insulin during the OGTT (P < 0.001). The ΔRQ and the RQ iAUC in the HIIT group were significantly higher than those in the MICT group, and different exercise intensities exhibited interactive effects within groups for RQ iAUC and ΔRQ (P = 0.013 and P = 0.012).

Conclusions

Two short-term exercise interventions similarly improved glucose tolerance, with HIIT demonstrating a more advantageous effect on metabolic flexibility than MICT in male individuals with obesity.

Trial registration

The trial was officially registered at www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR2300072884).