The effect of high intensity interval training and thyme supplementation on serum levels of omentin 1 and fibroblast growth factor 21 in sedentary young girls

Abstract

Background and Aim: Various factors in the body, such as omentin-1 (an adipokine of fat tissue) and FGF21 (an endocrine hormone with anti-inflammatory properties), decrease after periods of inactivity. This study aimed to investigate the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and thyme supplementation on the serum levels of omentin-1 and FGF-21 in sedentary young girls. Methods: In this clinical trial, 48 young girls were randomly assigned to four groups (n=12 each): HIIT training, thyme supplementation, HIIT + thyme, and control. Serum samples were collected at two time points: pre-test and post-test. Serum levels of omentin-1 and FGF21 were analyzed using specific ELISA kits. Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference in serum omentin-1 levels before (P=0.505) and after (P=0.542) the test in all four groups. However, post-test FGF-21 levels varied significantly among the groups (P=0.014). Post-test results indicated that FGF-21 levels were significantly higher in the HIIT + Thyme group (P=0.019; effect size=0.465), HIIT group (P=0.049; effect size=0.406), and thyme group (P=0.037; effect size=0.424) compared to the control group. Furthermore, a significant increase in the FGF-21 levels was observed in the thyme (P=0.001), HIIT (P=0.002), and HIIT + thyme (P=0.003) groups after the interventions. Conclusion: The study suggests that the increase in FGF-21 is a beneficial outcome of HIIT exercises with or without thyme supplementation. Combining HIIT exercises with thyme supplements may lead to a greater increase in FGF-21 levels. However, further research is required to confirm these findings.

Keywords

• high-intensity interval training (hiit)
• thyme
• fgf-21
• omentin1
• sedentary