Effect of period of high intensity interval training on serum IL-4 in schizophrenic male

Background & Aim: Today schizophrenia has a high incident in population and is developing among men and women. The purpose of present study is to evaluate effect of 8 weeks of HIIT on serum IL-4 in male schizophrenic patients. Methods: Present study is semi-experimental one with pre-posttest design. 28 male patients with schizophrenia with age range of 25-45 years old were divided into two groups of control and Intervention randomly. HIIT were performed for 8 weeks (3 sessions in a week with 70-85% maximum heart rate). Each session consisted of RAST protocol included 35 meter running for 6 repetitions. At the end of 8 weeks, after 12 hours fasting blood sampling was gathered and serum IL-4 content were assessed using ELISA method. Data were analyzed through SPSS 24 while using ANCOVA and paired t test at P<0.05. Results: Significant increase in IL-4 levels in Intervention group compared to control were observed (p=0.029). In addition, pre-posttest changes for IL-4 were significant in Intervention group (p=0.005). however, it was not significant in control (p= 0.51). Conclusion: Regular HIIT might mitigate vital impact on serum IL-4 level increase in male schizophrenic patients through improvement in inflammatory status as a useful and healthy method in attenuation of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.