Impact of High-Intensity Interval Training on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome: A Topical Review

Regular physical activity and exercise have been documented as critical components of the management and treatment plan for individuals with metabolic syndrome, playing a vital role in several oxidative stress and inflammatory markers. However, it is not clear whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can induce positive changes in key biomarkers related to oxidative stress, redox status, and chronic inflammation in metabolic syndrome patients. The aim of this topical review was to catalogue studies investigating the physiological adaptations to HIIT in order to identify what biological outcomes have been assessed, the research methods used, and the results. Articles were retrieved from PubMed/MEDLINE from inception up to 10 July 2023 after a systematic electronic search. The inclusion/ exclusion criteria were met by 8 articles investigating various short- or long-term HIIT protocols and involving 339 (50/50 gender ratio) participants with metabolic syndrome. The present topical review on HIIT-induced physiological responses demonstrates that this popular training modality, but also aversive for those who have numerous cardiometabolic risk factors, can meaningfully improve the large majority of the selected oxidative stress and inflammatory indicators. These improvements appear to be equal if not greater than those observed for traditional aerobic exercise among adults with metabolic syndrome. However, further research is warranted in this area, emphasizing on the potential mechanisms behind beneficial changes in several biomarkers related to oxidative stress and inflammation through large-scale, rigorously designed pragmatic randomized controlled trials implementing long-term interventions in metabolic syndrome individuals.