Concurrent improvement of cardiorespiratory fitness and modulation of inflammatory markers via 12-week high-intensity interval nordic walking in postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND

Many postmenopausal women (PMW) with overweight and obesity experience reduced cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and chronic inflammation, predisposing them to various diseases. However, the effects of High-Intensity Interval Nordic Walking (HIINW) as exercise therapy on these markers remain underexplored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate physiological responses to a 12-week HIINW program on CRF and inflammatory markers, and their potential correlations, in PMW.

METHODS

This quasi-experimental study assigned 45 PMW (age: 69.6 ± 3.93 years; BMI: 27.52 ± 4.34 kg/m²) with overweight/obesity to either an HIINW group (HIINWG; n = 23) or a control group (CG; n = 22). The HIINWG underwent the exercise intervention 3 times a week for 12 weeks, while the CG maintained their habitual lifestyle. Absolute and relative VO2max, along with serum C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and the anti-inflammatory adipokine adiponectin, were measured at baseline and post-intervention. Statistical analyses included repeated-measures ANOVA to assess group × time interactions, followed by post-hoc t-tests, and Pearson correlation analysis to evaluate the relationships between changes in CRF and inflammatory markers.

RESULTS

Post-intervention, HIINWG exhibited greater relative VO2max than CG (36.29 ± 5.63 vs. 32.18 ± 5.17 mL/kg/min, P < 0.01). HIINWG also showed significantly lower CRP (1.17 ± 0.92 vs. 1.65 ± 0.30 mg/L), TNF-α (7.42 ± 0.91 vs. 9.9 ± 1.37 pg/mL), and IL-6 (5.15 ± 1.03 vs. 7.13 ± 3.34 pg/mL), and higher adiponectin (8.55 ± 4.17 vs. 6.18 ± 3.09 µg/mL) compared to CG (all P < 0.05). Significant group×time interactions were observed for all variables (P < 0.05). Changes in absolute VO2max correlated negatively with IL-6 (r=-0.515, P < 0.05), while relative VO2max changes correlated positively with adiponectin (r = 0.427, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

A 12-week HIINW intervention significantly enhanced CRF and modulated inflammatory markers (decreased CRP, TNF-α, IL-6; increased adiponectin) in PMW with overweight and obesity. CRF improvements correlated with specific inflammatory markers, providing preliminary evidence of a potential link between cardiovascular adaptations and inflammatory responses. These findings suggest HIINW may serve as a beneficial strategy for concurrent CRF enhancement and inflammation management.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered with the Clinical Trials Research Center on 01/17/2025 (NCT06781541, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ ).