High-intensity interval training improves the vascular endothelial function comparing moderate-intensity interval training in overweight or obese adults: A meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Meta-analysis of comparative intervention studies
PubMed 36657899 · doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.11.023
What was done
Authors searched Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed through January 2022 for studies comparing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with moderate-intensity training (MICT) or control (CON) on endothelial function measured by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in overweight and obese adults. Standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.
What was found
Across 8 included studies with 208 total participants: - HIIT vs. MICT (6 studies): HIIT improved FMD with an overall change of 2.6% (95% CI: 0.82 to 4.377, p = 0.004) compared to MICT. - HIIT vs. CON (5 studies): HIIT significantly increased FMD by 1.83% (95% CI: 0.478 to 3.187, p = 0.008) compared to control.
Why it matters
Endothelial dysfunction is an early marker of cardiovascular disease in obesity. These findings suggest HIIT can provide greater improvements in vascular endothelial function than traditional moderate exercise.
Limits
The total sample size across the 8 studies was very small (208 participants). The abstract does not report study-level risk of bias, intervention duration, protocol specifics, participant sex or age distributions, or clinical cardiovascular endpoints.
Cited by
- supports In volume-matched randomized controlled trials, high-intensity interval training consistently produces greater improvements in vascular endothelial function and arterial stiffness compared to moderate-intensity training.