Effects of 8 Weeks of High-Intensity Interval Training and Spirulina Supplementation on Immunoglobin Levels, Cardio-Respiratory Fitness, and Body Composition of Overweight and Obese Women.

Hadi Nobari,Katsuhiko Suzuki,Jalil Reisi,Elham Eyni Gandomani,Stella Lucia Volpe,Jorge Pérez-Gómez,Reyhaneh Vahabidelshad

doi:10.3390/biology11020196

Abstract

Simple SummaryOverweight and obese, like other forms of malnutrition, have been shown to affect immune function through changing immunoglobin or cardio-respiratory fitness levels and cell-mediated immune responses. Although calorie restriction and exercise are the most common therapies for obesity or overweight, it is unclear what kind of supplementation these people should take or how much exercise they should perform. Hence, in this study, we examined the effect of 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with spirulina supplementation on the humoral immunity, cardio-respiratory fitness, and body composition of overweight and obese women. The results demonstrated that spirulina supplementation with HIIT not only decreased fat free mass but also boosted immunoglobin-A, which plays an important role in the immune system.Our study examined the effect of 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and spirulina supplementation on the humoral immunity, cardio-respiratory fitness, and body composition of overweight and obese women. Thirty sedentary women (height: 161.7 ± 2.8 cm, body mass: 75.8 ± 8.4 kg, body mass index [BMI]: 28.8 ± 2.5 kg/m2, age: 25.1 ± 6.7 years) were divided into three groups: placebo with HIIT group, spirulina group (SG), or combined group (CG). Exercise groups performed HIIT for 8 weeks, with three sessions per week and four to seven repetitions in each session of 30 s running and 30 s walking; the intensity was established at 90% of the maximum heart rate. Supplementation groups received 6 g of spirulina powder per day. Fasting blood samples were collected before and after 8 weeks to determine the concentrations of immunoglobulins (IgA and IgG). There was a significant group-by-time interaction for fat free mass (FFM; p = 0.001, f = 8.52, ηp2 = 0.39) and IgA (p = 0.036, f = 3.86, ηp2 = 0.22). The post hoc analysis revealed that CG reduced FFM significantly (p = 0.012, g = −0.55) after training. CG and SG showed significantly greater IgA concentrations after 8 weeks (p = 0.02, g = 0.70 and p = 0.001, g = 0.34, respectively). We conclude that spirulina supplementation with HIIT affects the body composition (lower FFM) but also boosts IgA, which plays an important role in the immune system.

Highlights

Overweight and obesity refer to the abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that may lead to an increased risk of chronic disease
The post hoc analysis found that IgA (CG, p = 0.02, g = 0.70 and spirulina group (SG), p = 0.001, g = 0.34) was significantly greater post-test versus pre-test
We found that 8-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with 6 g of spirulina supplementation per day significantly improved IgA (CG: 212.7 ± 67.8 and SG: 187.5 ± 44.6)

Summary

Introduction

Overweight and obesity refer to the abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that may lead to an increased risk of chronic disease. For each unit of a metabolic equivalent task increase in physical activity, the risk of cardiovascular disease decreases. It has been suggested that spirulina might help to increase lean body mass because of its high protein content, of the branched-chain amino acids, leucine, valine, and isoleucine. Spirulina has a high protein content (50% to 70% of its dry weight) [11], all of the essential amino acids, most of the vitamins and minerals, and it confers numerous health benefits, such as antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral activities [7,12]. Hernández-Lepe et al gave 4.5 g of spirulina per day to their participants for six weeks [14]

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