IMR Press / FBL / Volume 28 / Issue 11 / DOI: 10.31083/j.fbl2811281
Open Access Systematic Review
The Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training on Mitochondrial-Associated Indices in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
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1 Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
2 FAME Laboratory, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, 42100 Trikala, Greece
*Correspondence: tfilipou@med.uoa.gr (Anastassios Philippou)
These authors contributed equally.
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2023, 28(11), 281; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.fbl2811281
Submitted: 17 June 2023 | Revised: 12 September 2023 | Accepted: 26 September 2023 | Published: 8 November 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mitochondrial Function and Dysfunction in Muscles)
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: Obesity is a significant health problem with an increasing incidence, causing a low-grade systemic inflammatory state and being implicated in various chronic diseases. Moreover, obesity has been shown to cause mitochondrial dysfunction through oxidative stress and inflammation, eventually affecting energy metabolism. However, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can improve mitochondrial efficiency through exercise-induced mitochondrial adaptations. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to examine the potential effects of HIIT on mitochondrial-associated indices in obese and overweight adults. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched. Results: Twenty-eight eligible studies were included, involving 530 participants. HIIT was found to significantly improve the activity of citrate synthase (CS), cytochrome C (COX-IV), beta-hydroxyacyl CoA-dehydrogenase (β-HAD), Complexes I-V as well as VO2max in overweight and obese individuals, whereas no significant changes were shown in PGC-1α and SIRT1. Interestingly, subgroup analyses revealed that CS, COX-IV, β-HAD, and Complexes I-V activity exhibited a significant improvement only in the healthy subgroup. Conclusions: Overall, HIIT can be utilized to enhance mitochondrial-associated indices in overweight and obese individuals. However, this improvement may be health status dependent.

Keywords
citrate synthase
cytochrome c
Complex I–V
mitochondria
biogenesis
obesity
physical activity
exercise
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