THE EFFECT OF HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIT) ON INSULIN RESISTANCE AMONG WOMEN WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

Background: A few randomized trials assessed the effects of high intensity interval training (HIT) on insulin resistance among women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). We now hypothesize that insulin resistance might be improved after HIT. Hence, the present study aimed to assess the effects of HIT on insulin resistance in Iranian PCOS patients. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 25 women with the final diagnosis of PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria. Fasting blood samples were taken from all patients to assess fasting glucose and insulin levels at the reference laboratory. After initial clinical and laboratory assessments, all patients were scheduled under the supervision of physical therapist for HIT as one-hour sessions once a week using treadmill aimed to achieve 85-75% of individual maximum heart rate (HRmax) for three months. After the completion of study protocol, the patients were reassessed. Results: According to the definitive criteria of insulin resistance, 100% of subjects suffered insulin resistance at baseline. After the completing HIT program, significantly reduce in glucose and insulin parameters as well as increase in glucose to insulin ratio after HIT were found compared to the baseline values (p < 0.001 for all). Also, the overall prevalence of insulin resistance decreased from 100% to 52.0% with a significant difference (p < 0.001). The change in the parameters of serum insulin level, fasting glucose level and fasting glucose to insulin ratio were independent to anthropometric indices as well as to patients' age. Conclusion: the use of HIT results in improvement of insulin resistance among PCOS women regardless of patients' baseline characteristics including age and BMI Key words: HIT, PCOS, insulin resistance, HRmax