The Effects of High-intensity Interval Training on Mental Health and Inflammation

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT04118309

Enrollment

Registered

2019-10-08

Start date

2015-09-14

Completion date

2016-04-08

Last updated

2019-10-08

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Inflammation

Brief summary

The present study investigated the effects of high-intensity interval exercise training and placebo-exercise on mental health and inflammation using a randomized control trial. The study also examined how anxiety symptoms prior to high-intensity interval training may influence improvements in fitness. Inactive young adults underwent nine weeks of either high-intensity interval training or their regular routine. Questionnaires, a blood draw and a maximal exercise test were conducted the week before and week after the intervention. It was hypothesized those who underwent high-intensity interval training would experience greater reductions in their depression, anxiety, and inflammation than those who were in the placebo control group. It was also hypothesized those who had high anxiety symptoms at the start of high-intensity interval training would experience smaller improvements in fitness than those who had low anxiety symptoms.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALExercise

OTHERPlacebo

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 30 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Full-time student at McMaster University * Speak, read and understand English

Exclusion criteria

* Exercising for more than 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in mental illness symptoms (anxiety, depression) from baseline to post-intervention	11 weeks	The 21-items of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck, Brown, Epstein & Steer, 1998) are summed to produce a total score from 0-63, with a higher score reflecting more severe anxiety symptoms. The 21-items of the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) are summed to produce a total score from 0-63, with a higher score reflecting more severe depressive symptoms.
Change in concentration of circulating proinflammatory cytokines (Interleukin-6, Interleukin-1 beta, Tumour necrosis factor alpha) from baseline to post-intervention	11 weeks	Picogram measured from venous blood sample
Change in cardiorespiratory fitness from baseline to post-intervention	11 weeks	VO2peak test (ml/min/kg)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026