THE EFFECT OF EIGHT WEEKS HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT) ON SERUM AMOUNTS OF FGF21 AND IRISIN IN SEDENTARY OBESE WOMEN

Background & Aims: Transforming white adipose tissue to brown adipose tissue is considered a solution to overcome undesirable effects of obesity in human beings. Thus, the aim of this research was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on serum amounts of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and Irisin in sedentary obese women. Materials & Methods: Twenty sedentary obese women (with the average age of 30.15&plusmn;2.96 and BMI of 30.34&plusmn;1.27) were selected and randomly categorized into HIIT group and control group each consisting of 10 members. HIIT program was conducted for 8 weeks, 3 sessions in each week and with 90 percent of target heart rate. Blood samples were taken from both HIIT and control groups (while fasted) before and after the training to measure Irisin, FGF21 and lipid profile. The research data were analyzed by independent and dependent t-statistic tests in the significant level of P<0.05. Results: The results of the statistical analysis showed HIIT program increased serum amounts of FGF21 and Irisin in sedentary obese women (P<0.05). Also, the results of independent t test showed there was a significant difference between HIIT group and control group in terms of FGF21 and Irisin amounts. Conclusion: According to the results of this research, it seems HIIT program with increasing amounts of Irisin and FGF21 may lead to the transformation of white adipose tissue to brown adipose tissue and therefore, it has a key role in preventing obesity and its negative consequences.