Interval training cuts CVD risk in testicular cancer survivors

(HealthDay)—For testicular cancer survivors (TCS), a high-intensity aerobic interval training (HIIT) intervention improves cardiorespiratory fitness and reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, according to a study published online July 14 in Cancer.

Scott C. Adams, from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and colleagues conducted a phase 2 trial involving 63 TCS who were randomized to usual care or 12 weeks of supervised HIIT (alternating periods of vigorous-intensity and light-intensity aerobic exercise). The authors examined peak aerobic fitness (VO_2peak), assessed via a treadmill-based maximal cardiorespiratory exercise test.

Participants in the HIIT group attended 99 percent of the exercise sessions and achieved 98 percent of the target exercise intensity. The researchers found that HIIT was superior for improving VO_2peak than usual care (adjusted between-group mean difference, 3.7 mL). In addition, superiority was seen for secondary outcomes, including CVD risk, arterial thickness, arterial stiffness, post-exercise parasympathetic reactivation, inflammation, and low-density lipoprotein. Compared with usual care, HIIT correlated with a 20 percent reduction in the prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors.

"These findings have important implications for the management of TCS," the authors write. "Further research concerning the long-term effects of HIIT on CVD morbidity and mortality in TCS is warranted."

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