Exercise as it relates to Disease/The effect of high-intensity intermittent exercise on body composition of overweight young males

This Wikibook page presents a critical appraisal of the research article: The Effect of High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise on Body Composition of Overweight Young Males

What is the background of this research?
Obesity and overweight are medical conditions in which excess body fat accumulates to the extent that affects health. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese. Since obesity is associated with many health issues, effective fat loss strategies are needed. Aerobic exercise programs have been shown to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and maintain lean body mass. Most aerobic exercise interventions consist of stationary, moderate-intensity exercise lasting about 30 to 40 minutes, 3 to 4 days a week, for 4 to 6 months. Disappointingly, these types of training programs result in minimal fat loss.

Therefore, high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) or other forms, such as High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to improve fat loss in all age groups. According to the research, there are two groups that have done exercises, one following a 20-minute HIIE program, which consisted of an 8 seconds sprint followed by 12 seconds of low-intensity cycling, and the other group carrying out an aerobic cycling protocol for 40 min each session. Results have shown a 0.5 kg increase in fat-free mass (FFM) after HIIE exercise. However, the results of the aerobic cycling protocol were changeless. Hence, this study focus on HIIE intervention on the total body, abdominal, trunk, and fat-free mass of overweight young males.

Where is the research from?
This research is organized in 2012 at the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia. Specifically, all the authors have track-record in health and medicine. Mohammad Heydari was worked for School of Medical Sciences in University of New South Wales, and Dr. Judith Freund was worked in St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurs, Sydney , who major in bone densitometry.

What kind of research was this?
The study method was a randomized controlled parallel-group study (n=25), and the control group (n=21). Both groups were similar in terms of age (24.7 ± 4.8 and 25.1 ± 3.9 years) and body mass index (BMI: 28.4 ± 0.5 and 29 ± 0.9 kg m−2). Specifically, all participants were recruited from the UNSW university population and randomly allocated to either exercise.

The research hypothesis was '''"that HIIE would result in significant reductions in the total abdominal, trunk, and visceral fat and a significant increase in fat-free mass and aerobic power." '''

Strength

Randomization helps to minimize bias in studies by providing a fair and accurate way to investigate relationships between interventions and outcomes. Additionally, the Procedures of this research. Subjects were advised to avoid strenuous activity and caffeine consumption for 24 hours prior to testing and to enter the laboratory after a 10-hour fast. Testing for all subjects in the control and exercise groups was done at the same time of day. Moreover, subjects were asked to fill out The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire, the questionnaire is to identify whether the subjects have a higher risk for a disease. Specifically, subjects used TrueMax 2400 Metabolic Cart and Monark 869, an electronically braked cycle ergometer to assess aerobic power and V˙O2max.

What did the research involve?
This research aimed to examine the effects of 20 minutes of HIIE, repeated three times a week for 12 weeks, on the body composition of overweight males. To make the research results valid, procedures are required, it delivers a systematic and scientific, and orderly work plan to complete the research. All procedures included resting metabolic rate (RMR), diet, body composition, work output, and assays. Subjects in the exercise group performed continuously monitored exercises (8-second sprint, 12-second recovery) during each 20-minute session. The HIIE workload was set at 80-90% of each subject's maximum heart rate (HR), with a cadence between 120 and 130 rpm, and recovery was set at the same resistance, but with a cadence of 40 rpm. Instruct subjects to maintain exercise intensity at the level required to achieve between 80% and 90% of peak HR.

It is important to know that the research statistical analysis was considered significant while the probability level less than 0.05.

What were the basic results?
Furthermore, the research pointed out that HIIE have taken place within the first month as reduction in waist circumference was significantly correlated.

What conclusions can we take from this research?
In conclusion, 20 minutes of HIIE, exercised three times per week for 3 months, resulted in increased in fat-free mass of overweight adolescent. The main findings of this study was that HIIE significantly increased V˙O2peak and significantly decreased total fat, abdominal fat, trunk fat, and visceral fat in young obese men. Additionally, lean torso and leg mass increased significantly after HIIE. Moreover, HIIE resulting in enhanced aerobic fitness and developing in cardiorespiratory fitness is an important factor to counter obesity or other heart disease.

Practical advice
HIIE exercise is more suitable than normal seated exercise, such as jogging and cycling to lower trunk fat and overall bodyweight. Because this HIIE program requires the least amount of time, it affects population's adherence to the exercise intervention. Therefore, a physical activity regimen that requires minimal effort while providing adequate reduction of subcutaneous and visceral fat may be optimal. HIIE exercise appeared to fail into this category, as the total exercise commitment was 60 minutes per week. Therefore, patient are needed and no shortcut

Further information/resources
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01291

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.07.018