The Effect of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with Omega-3 Consumption on Plasma Level of Bdnf in Non-Athletes Male Adolescents

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents and adults worldwide is known to be a critical health determinant that begins in childhood and continues most of the time until adulthood. Brain Drived Nurotrophic Factor Growth Factor (BDNF) stimulates and activates neuronal stem cells that proliferates and differentiates neurons, and is essential for the regulation of neurodevelopment to improve function and structure in neural circuits, learning and memory. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 6 weeks of intensive training of High Intensity Interval Ttraining (HIIT) and omega-3 on BDNF in blood plasma of inactive boys.

In this semi-experimental study, 40 non-athletic students of high school were selected by random sampling method and randomly assigned to four groups of HIIT, omega-3 supplementation, Exercise + Supplement, HIIT Exercise, and Omega-3 Supplement and Control. The training group performed HIIT exercises three sessions per week with 80 to 90% of VO2max. Omega-3 supplements and placebo received two capsules daily for lunch. One-way ANOVA and post-test LSD test were used for statistical comparison of mean difference between groups (P <0.05).

Results showed that after doing of intervention there were significant changes in the amount of plasma BDNF levels in groups under study. Plasma BDNF levels was significantly higher in the HIIT exercise group compared to the placebo and supplementation groups. Also, the level of this index was significantly higher in the combination group [HIIT exercise plus Omega-3 supplementation] than the supplementation group, but the level of plasma BDNF level in the combination group[HIIT exercise plus omega-3 supplementation] was not significantly different from that of the control and HIIT exercise group.

Considering results acquired appears seems HIIT exercises alone and combination group [HIIT exercises plus omega-3 supplementation] have the positive effect on the amount of plasma BDNF levels in inactive teens.