Effects of combined training or moderate intensity continuous training during a 3-week multidisciplinary body weight reduction program on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and substrate oxidation rate in adolescents with obesity.

Mattia D'Alleva, Stefano Lazzer, Gabriella Tringali, Roberta De Micheli, Adele Bondesan, Laura Abbruzzese, Alessandro Sartorio

Journal: Scientific reports 2023;13(1):17609

PMID: 37848570

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Plain Language Summary

Obesity rates are increasing in adolescents, and unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity are important factors. Both, moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT), have been shown to be beneficial for body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), with HIIT being more time-efficient. The aim of this 3-week randomised controlled trial was to compare the effects of a combination of HIIT and MICT (COMB) with MICT alone on body composition and CRF in adolescents with obesity. 21 patients underwent the in-hospital multi-disciplinary weight reduction programme which also included moderate energy restriction, nutritional education and psychological counselling for all participants. Body mass, body mass index and fat mass reduced significantly in both groups but significantly more so in the MICT group compared to the COMB group whilst peak oxygen uptake and O2pulse improved only in the COMB group. There were no significant differences between groups in substrate oxidation rates. The authors concluded that the COMB exercise regime could be an alternative strategy to improve body composition and physical capacities in adolescents with obesity.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of combined training (COMB, a combination of moderate-intensity continuous training-MICT and high-intensity interval training-HIIT) vs. continuous MICT administered during a 3-week in-hospital body weight reduction program (BWRP) on body composition, physical capacities, and substrate oxidation in adolescents with obesity. The 3-week in-hospital BWRP entailed moderate energy restriction, nutritional education, psychological counseling, and two different protocols of physical exercise. Twenty-one male adolescents with obesity (mean age: 16.1 ± 1.5 years; mean body mass index [BMI] 37.8 ± 4.5 kg m) participated in this randomized control trial study (n:10 for COMB, n:11 MICT), attending ~ 30 training sessions. The COMB group performed 3 repetitions of 2 min at 95% of peak oxygen uptake (V'O peak) (e.g., HIIT ≤ 20%), followed by 30 min at 60% of V'O peak (e.g., MICT ≥ 80%). Body composition, V'O peak, basal metabolic rate (BMR), energy expenditure, and substrate oxidation rate were measured during the first week (W0) and at the end of three weeks of training (W3). The two training programs were equivalent in caloric expenditure. At W3, body mass (BM) and fat mass (FM) decreased significantly in both groups, although the decrease in BM was significantly greater in the MICT group than in the COMB group (BM: - 5.0 ± 1.2 vs. - 8.4 ± 1.5, P < 0.05; FM: - 4.3 ± 3.0 vs. - 4.2 ± 1.9 kg, P < 0.05). V'O peak increased only in the COMB by a mean of 0.28 ± 0.22 L min (P < 0.05). The maximal fat oxidation rate (MFO) increased only in the COMB group by 0.04 ± 0.03 g min (P < 0.05). COMB training represents a viable alternative to MICT for improving anthropometric characteristics, physical capacities, and MFO in adolescents with obesity during a 3-week in-hospital BWRP.

Address: Department of Medicine, University of Udine, P.le Kolbe 4, 33100, Udine, Italy. [email protected].; School of Sport Science, University of Udine, Udine, Italy. [email protected].; Department of Medicine, University of Udine, P.le Kolbe 4, 33100, Udine, Italy.; School of Sport Science, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.; Experimental Laboratory for Auxo-endocrinological Research, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Piancavallo-Verbania, Italy.; Experimental Laboratory for Auxo-endocrinological Research, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Piancavallo-Verbania, Italy.; Experimental Laboratory for Auxo-endocrinological Research, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44953-3