Effect of high-intensity interval training on cardiovascular disease risk factors and body composition in psoriatic arthritis: A randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Background Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is associated with an accumulation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on CVD risk factors in patients with PsA. Methods We randomly assigned 61 patients with PsA (41 women and 20 men) to an intervention group performing HIIT for 11 weeks or a control group who were instructed to not change their physical exercise habits. Outcomes were assessed at 3 and 9 months with measures on maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), fat percentage and Body Mass Index (BMI). We used linear mixed models to calculate mean difference with 95% CI between the groups according to the intention-to-treat principle. Results At 3 months, the HIIT group had a 3.72 mL/kg/min (95% CI 2.38 to 5.06) higher VO2max and a 1.28 (95% CI −2.51 to −0.05) lower truncal fat percentage than controls. There was also some evidence that the HIIT group had lower total fat percentage (−0.80; 95% CI −1.71 to 0.10) and slightly lower BMI (−0.31; 95% CI −0.78 to 0.17) than the control group. At 9 months, the HIIT group had still a higher VO2max (3.08; 95% CI 1.63 to 4.53) than the control group, whereas the difference in other factors were small. Conclusion In patients with PsA, 3 months with HIIT was associated with a substantial increase in VO2max and a reduction in truncal fat percentage compared with controls. The beneficial effect on VO2max was also sustained through 9 months.