The effects of eight weeks of interval training on plasma levels of FoxN1 and blood pressure indices in middle-aged men with hypertension

High blood pressure or hypertension has become the most common cardiovascular and renal risk factor among people around the world and is mainly associated with an inactive lifestyle and unhealthy diet. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of moderate-intensity interval training on plasma levels of FoxN1 and blood pressure indices in middle-aged men with hypertension. In the present quasi-experimental study, 32 middle-aged men with an age range of 50-60 years and with high blood pressure were purposefully selected and then randomly assigned to two control (n = 15) and experimental (n = 17) groups. The experimental group performed interval training for eight weeks with a frequency of three sessions per week and an intensity of 50-75% of heart rate reserve based on the principle of gradual overload, while the control group did not participate in any training program. Plasma levels of FoxN1 were measured by the ELISA protein assay. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure were also measured in the subjects of the two groups before and after the training period. to evaluation the normality of the data, the Shapiro-Wilk test was used, and the homogeneity of variances was assessed with the Levene test. The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) test was also used to compare the variables in the two groups. The data were analyzed at a significance level of 0.05 and using SPSS-23 software. The results showed that eight weeks of moderate-intensity interval training led to a significant increase in FoxN1 (P < 0.05). Also, a significant decrease was observed in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial blood pressure after eight weeks of interval training (P < 0.05). According to the results of the present study, it is recommended that people with high blood pressure perform moderate-intensity interval training to control blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and improve immune function.