Abstract
Evidence supports the role of exercise training and probiotics on reducing obesity. Considering the relationship between obesity and high-fat diet with anxiety indices, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of probiotic supplementation and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on anxiety-like behaviors, corticosterone and obesity indices in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mice. Thirty male adult C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups: (1) Control with normal diet (CON), (2) High-fat diet (HFD), (3) HFD + exercise training (HT), (4) HFD + probiotics supplement (HP) and (5) HFD + exercise training +probiotics (HTP). Exercise training consisted of 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) programs. Probiotics supplement included 0.2 mL Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Anxiety-like behaviors were measured by open field (OF) and Elevated plus maze (EPM). OF and EPM tests, visceral fat mass (VFM) measurement, and blood sampling for corticosterone were performed after the intervention. Bodyweight was measured at different stages during the intervention. HFD regime in C57BL/6 mice increased bodyweight, VFM, and serum corticosterone levels and anxiety-like behaviors (p < 0.05). HIIT, probiotic and their combination, decreased bodyweight, VFM, and serum corticosterone levels and improved anxiety-like behavior in the HFD mice (p < 0.05). The effect of a combination of HIIT and probiotic on most of the anxiety indices was more than each one separately (p < 0.5). HIIT and probiotic supplements separately or above all in combination, may have beneficial effects in reducing obesity and anxiety indices.
Highlights
Considering body weight, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test indicated a significant difference between the study groups following 8 weeks of the high-fat diet [F (4,24) = 26.05, p < 0.001]
Bodyweight of HFD + exercise training (HT) mice decreased compared to Control with normal diet (CON) (p = 0.022), high-fat diet (HFD) group (p < 0.001), and HFD + probiotics supplement (HP) group (p = 0.002)
Our findings demonstrated a synergistic effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and probiotic supplementation to reduce anxiety-related factors of visceral fat mass (VFM), open field (OF) task and Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) test and corticosterone
Summary
Anxiety is a common psychiatric disorder that is marked by excessive fear, fatigue, heart palpitations and tension [1]. Unhealthy human diets are associated with cognitive and affective disorders, including anxiety [2,3]. Long-term consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) increases anxiety-like behaviors in both human and animals [4]. The underlying mechanism of the relationship between HFD feeding and anxiety is unclear [4], HFD increased body fat accumulation and metabolic disorders, impaired hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA), and increased circulating corticosterone levels
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