Effectiveness Of High-intensity Interval Training And L-arginine Supplementation In Improving Serum Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Level And Abdominal Obesity Indices In Overweight/obese Young Men

Regular exercise and some dietary supplements consumption have been shown to decrease obesity-related complications and risk of cardiovascular disease. In particular, visceral adipose tissue produces plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) as a key inhibitor of fibrinolysis and atherothrombotic risk factor in obesity. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of six weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and L-arginine supplementation on serum PAI-1 level and abdominal obesity indicators [waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)] as major risk factors for atherothrombosis in overweight/obese men. METHODS: Forty overweight/obese young men (age of 24.58 ± 6.52 years and body mass index of 29.43 ± 3.66 kg/m2) were randomly divided into four equal groups including control, HIIT (three times a week), L-arginine (six grams daily), and HIIT + L-arginine. Serum level of PAI-1 and central obesity indices were measured 24 hours before and 36 hours after intervention. One-way analysis of variance and post-hoc Tukey tests were used to analyze the differences between groups. Values of p ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: A significant decrease in PAI-1 level was observed in the HIIT group (p = 0.03) along with a tendency to decrease the level of PAI-1 in the L-arginine and HIIT+ L-arginine groups compared to the control group (p > 0.05). Furthermore, compared to the control group, alone and combined effects of HIIT and L-arginine supplementation resulted in a significant decrease in WC and WHtR (all p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings may support the efficiency of HIIT and L-arginine to improve PAI-1 level and obesity- related indices in overweight/obese young men.