Efficacy of high-intensity interval training for improving mental health and health-related quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Rhiannon K Patten; Luke C McIlvenna; Alba Moreno-Asso; Danielle Hiam; Nigel K Stepto; Simon Rosenbaum; Alexandra G Parker

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-29503-1

Efficacy of high-intensity interval training for improving mental health and health-related quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Sci Rep. 2023 Feb 21;13(1):3025. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-29503-1.

Authors

Rhiannon K Patten^{1

2}, Luke C McIlvenna^{3

4}, Alba Moreno-Asso^{3

5}, Danielle Hiam^{3

6}, Nigel K Stepto³, Simon Rosenbaum^{7

8}, Alexandra G Parker³

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Health and Sport (iHeS), Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Rhiannon.patten@vu.edu.au.
² Victoria University, Ballarat Rd, Footscray, VIC, 3011, Australia. Rhiannon.patten@vu.edu.au.
³ Institute for Health and Sport (iHeS), Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Epigenetics & Cellular Senescence Group, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
⁵ Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), Victoria University, University of Melbourne and Western Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁶ Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
⁷ Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁸ School of Health Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Abstract

Women with PCOS have substantially greater symptoms of depression and anxiety, and a lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared to women without PCOS. The aim of this study was to determine if high-intensity interval training (HIIT) could provide greater improvements in mental health outcomes than standard moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Twenty-nine overweight women with PCOS aged 18-45 years were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of either MICT (60-75% HR_peak, N = 15) or HIIT (> 90% HR_peak, N = 14). Outcome measures included symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress (DASS-21), general HRQoL (SF-36) and PCOS specific HRQoL (PCOSQ) collected at baseline and post-intervention. Reductions in depression (Δ - 1.7, P = 0.005), anxiety (Δ - 3.4, P < 0.001) and stress (Δ - 2.4, P = 0.003) scores were observed in the HIIT group, while MICT only resulted in a reduction in stress scores (Δ - 2.9, P = 0.001). Reductions in anxiety scores were significantly higher in the HIIT group compared to the MICT group (β = - 2.24, P = 0.020). Both HIIT and MICT significantly improved multiple domain scores from the SF-36 and PCOSQ. This study highlights the potential of HIIT for improving mental health and HRQoL in overweight women with PCOS. HIIT may be a viable strategy to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in women with PCOS, however, large-scale studies are required to confirm these findings.Trial registration number: ACTRN12615000242527.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Female
High-Intensity Interval Training* / methods
Humans
Mental Health
Overweight
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome*
Quality of Life

Associated data

ANZCTR/ACTRN12615000242527