Children Active To Stay Healthy (CASH): Exercise as a Tool for Reducing Inflammation and Cardiovascular Risk in Sedentary, Pubescent Adolescents With Obesity

Obesity, even in children, is generally accompanied by a state of chronic inflammation. To combat childhood obesity, clinicians and scientists recommend lifestyle interventions that include increased physical activity and exercise in an attempt to promote weight loss and, consequently, decrease comorbidities associated with excess adiposity. More importantly, it appears that the influence of regular exercise may offer children with obesity a multitude of health benefits, independent of weight loss. However, the intensity of exercise required to elicit significant health benefits is still unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present project was to study the influence of high intensity interval exercise (HIIE) on the existing inflammatory state and endothelial dysfunction found in obesity. Adolescents with obesity were randomized into either moderate exercise (MOD) or HIIE groups, and attended sessions 3 times per week for 6 weeks. The moderate group cycled continuously for 30 minutes at 65%-70% of age predicted maximal heart rate (APMHR) and the HIIE group performed ten, 2-minute bouts at 90%-95% of APMHR. Outcome measures of body composition, aerobic capacity, blood lipids, glucose metabolism, endothelial function, and inflammation were measured pre- and post-intervention. 27 (17 females and 10 males; mean age 14.7 ± 1.5 years) completed the exercise intervention. A significant decrease in waist-to-hip ratio was detected in both groups (p = 0.020), with no difference between groups. No other significant changes in body composition were noted within or between groups from pre- to post-intervention. For all subjects, BMIz score at baseline was strongly and positively associated with hsCRP (p = 0.006; r= 0.511). The HIIE group demonstrated a significant and negative relationship between endothelin-1 (ET-1) and percent of APMHR achieved during the intervention (p = 0.035; r = -0.567). Venous occlusion plethysmography (VOP) did not indicate significant changes to endothelial function from pre- to post-intervention for either group or between groups. However, the vasoconstrictor, ET-1 was found to decrease with increasing exercise intensity. Therefore, HIIE may elicit greater improvements to endothelial function by decreasing the enzyme responsible for vasoconstriction. These results may help establish exercise protocols not only for children with obesity, but also other inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and arthritis.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Starkoff, Brooke E.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Devor, Steven

• Kinesiology
• Childhood Obesity
• VOP
• High intensity interval exercise
• endothelial function
• inflammation
• aerobic capacity
• physical activity
• exercise

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366021918

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1366021918