Changes in irisin, inflammatory cytokines and aerobic capacity in response to three weeks of supervised sprint interval training in older men.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

This study investigated the effects of supervised short-term sprint interval training (SIT) on circulating irisin, interleukin (IL)-6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α concentrations, and aerobic capacity and body composition values in healthy older men.

METHODS:

Eleven older men (63±8 years; 178.0±5.5 cm; 82.7±8.6 kg; 22.7±3.7% body fat) underwent SIT (6 repetitions of 30 s all-out cycling bouts with 4 min active recovery after each bout) three days a week for three consecutive weeks. Body composition measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, aerobic capacity assessed by direct peak oxygen consumption (VO<inf>2peak</inf>) test and morning fasting blood samples were obtained before and after a 3-week SIT intervention.

RESULTS:

Nine supervised SIT sessions moderately (effect size [ES] =0.65; P<0.05) increased irisin concentrations (from 135.40±28.73 to 154.20±47.09 ng.mL-1) together with moderate decreases (P<0.05) in IL-6 (ES=0.89; from 1.26±0.44 to 0.87±0.44 pg.mL-1) and TNF-α (ES=0.64; from 5.10±1.23 to 4.31±1.20 pg.mL-1) levels in older men. In addition, increase in VO<inf>2peak</inf> was significant but small (ES=0.25; P<0.05; from 36.0±7.1 to 37.8±6.7 mL.min.-1kg-1), while no changes (P>0.05) in body composition variables were observed after a short-term SIT period.

CONCLUSIONS:

A 3-week SIT intervention with only nine training sessions increased circulating irisin concentrations, improved inflammatory profile and aerobic capacity without changes in body composition in healthy older men. Accordingly, a short-term SIT programme is a time efficient alternative for traditional aerobic training to improve metabolic health and aerobic capacity in older adults.

• Authors: Jaak Jürimäe, Priit Purge, Liina Remmel, Jaan Ereline, Tatjana Kums, Sigitas Kamandulis, Marius Brazaitis, Tomas Venckunas, Mati Pääsuke
• Journal: The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness (J Sports Med Phys Fitness) Vol. 63 Issue 1 Pg. 162-169 (Jan 2023) ISSN: 1827-1928 [Electronic] Italy
• PMID: 35686866 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Cytokines
• Fibronectins
• FNDC5 protein, human

Topics

• Aged
• Humans
• Male
• Bicycling
• Cytokines
• Fibronectins
• High-Intensity Interval Training
• Oxygen Consumption (physiology)
• Middle Aged