effect of high-intensity interval training on endothelial function in type 2 diabetic females

Background: flow-mediated dilation (fmd) is a noninvasive approach to examine endothelial function. objectives: the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training (hiit) on fmd and circulating levels of adropin and nitric oxide (no) in females with type 2 diabetes. methods: thirty females with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned into two equal groups of hiit and control. the exercise program consisted of three sessions a week for 12 weeks. each training session included 4 × 4-minute running intervals at 85 - 95% of maximal heart rate (hrmax) with 3-minute active recoveries at 50 - 60% of hrmax. circulating levels of adropin, no, glucose, hba1c, insulin, homa-ir, as well as lipid profile, and body composition parameters were measured before and after the intervention. results: a significant increase of fmd% was observed after the intervention in the hiit group (p = 0.001). in addition, the circulation levels of adropin and no enhanced as a result of hiit (p = 0.012 and p < 0.001, respectively). there were also significant positive effects on the levels of lipid profile (except for hdl), fbs, and hba1c; as well as on the insulin resistance and the body composition variables. there were no significant changes in the control group except an increase in the total cholesterol levels (p < 0.01). conclusions: the results showed that 12 weeks of the hiit program could improve the endothelial function, glucose-related indices, lipid profile, and body composition variables in females with type 2 diabetes.