May be more effective than other types of exercise for improving blood pressure, aerobic capacity levels
MONDAY, March 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For obese youth, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) appears to be more effective for improving blood pressure and aerobic capacity than other forms of exercise, according to a meta-analysis published online March 7 in Obesity Reviews.
Antonio García-Hermoso, Ph.D., from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile in Santiago, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of HIIT interventions on cardiometabolic risk factors and aerobic capacity in overweight and obese youth. Data were included from nine studies involving 274 6- to 17-year-olds.
The researchers found that compared with other forms of exercise, four- to 12-week HIIT interventions correlated with larger decreases in systolic blood pressure (−3.63 mm Hg) and greater increases in maximum oxygen uptake (1.92 ml/kg/min). The type of comparison group and study duration were moderators.
“In summary, this meta-analysis provides insight into the higher effectiveness of short-term HIIT interventions on improving aerobic capacity and blood pressure, especially as compared to moderate-intensity continuous training, and especially with interventions that last more than 12 weeks,” the authors write. “A study has reported that HIIT is perceived as a more enjoyable exercise compared to other exercise modalities, which would have implications for participation in adherence to this type of activity, which could favor greater autonomous motivation.”
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