the impact of high intensity interval training on lipid profile, inflammatory markers and anthropometric parameters in inactive women

abstract       background and objective: high-intensity interval training (hiit) is a recently proposed exercise protocol, which is time-effective. the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hiit for 8 weeks on the lipid profile, c-reactive protein (crp), fasting blood sugar (fbs) and anthropometric parameters of young women who do not exercise.      methods: in this study, 20 young physically inactive women performed hiit workouts for 8 weeks and 3 sessions per week. the training protocol consisted of 10-times treadmill running for 15 seconds at maximum effort and then 30 seconds of resting. blood samples were taken while fasting, a day before and after the training and then the considered parameters were measured. wilcoxon test was used to compare the obtained data.       results: hiit significantly reduced fbs, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein /cholesterol ratio and crp while increasing the hdl levels. there was a significant difference in the weight, body fat percentage, waist circumference, abdominal circumference and chest circumference of the subjects before and after the training (p <0.05).       conclusion: hiit can improve lipid, inflammatory and anthropometric parameters, thus it can be considered as a suitable alternative to time-consuming exercises, especially for physically inactive women who like to spend less time to achieve optimal physical wellness and body fitness.