Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under (CC BY-NC) license

Authors

• DORSA MASOUD SINAKI ¹
• Arsalan Damirchi ¹
• Parvin Babaei ²

¹ Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht- Iran.

² Guilan University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: One of the major health challenges during menopause is the emergence of underlying factors that contribute to metabolic disorders, cardiovascular dysfunction, and muscle wasting. If these conditions are not properly prevented and managed, they can lead to serious health complications and, in prolonged critical states, increase the risk of mortality in postmenopausal women. According to previous studies, adopting healthy lifestyle strategies—particularly regular physical exercise—may have beneficial effects on these health markers. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of eight weeks of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) on selected metabolic syndrome markers, with a focus on the PGC-1α signaling pathway as a key mitochondrial regulator in postmenopausal women aged 55 to 65.
Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 45 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to three groups: HIIT, MICT, and control (n = 15 per group). Training sessions were conducted three times per week for eight weeks. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included metabolic, anthropometric, lipid, blood pressure, and molecular markers related to PGC-1α.
Results: In comparison between the two training groups, the HIIT group showed a significant increase in plasma PGC-1α levels (P ≤ 0.05), along with significant reductions in diastolic blood pressure and improvements in insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR) (P ≤ 0.05). In the MICT group, HDL levels significantly increased, while triglycerides and total cholesterol significantly decreased (P ≤ 0.05).
Conclusion: HIIT had greater effects than MICT on PGC-1α expression, diastolic blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity.

Keywords

• Menopause
• High-Intensity Interval Training
• Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training
• PGC-1α
• Metabolic Syndrome

Main Subjects

• Metabolic disorders in exercise