Modified High-Intensity Interval Training and its effects on immunometabolic regulation in sedentary young adults with overweight and obesity.

Abstract

Sedentary lifestyles can contribute to obesity and other diseas-es; while chronic low-grade inflammation associated with obesity can lead to metabolic alterations. As physical activity is an alternative to decrease excess weight and its related comorbidities, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has recently emerged as effective in regulating whole-body metabolism and inflam-matory processes in people with excess weight.The objective was to compare the effects of a modified HIIT program on peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL), metabolic profile, insulin resistance (IR), andbody composition (BC) in sed-entary adults with excess weight. PBL, biochemical variables, IR, and BC were analyzed in 37 participants, 23 sedentary young adults (17 with overweight and six with obesity), before and after eight weeks of a modified HIIT program and compared with those of 14 healthy-weight participants. The results showed that after HIIT, total lymphocytes, TCD3+, and TCD8+ lymphocytes decreased; granulocytes and naïve TCD3+ cells increased in patients. Regarding partial correlations, we found that changes (Δ) in TCD8+ lymphocytes correlated posi-tively with glucose and LDL -c, while naïve TCD3+ cells correlated with total cholesterol and LDL -c. Δ in TCD4+CD45RA+ cells correlated negatively with Δ in subcutaneous fat tissue and body fat mass. This study reports that sedentary young adults who completed the modified HIIT program showed lymphocyte levels similar to those in healthy-weight individuals and positive changes in the study variables. Such changes suggest immunometabolic regulation through the implementation of HIIT in participants with overweight and obesity.