The Effect of Acute Caffeine Ingestion Before High-Intensity Interval Training on Hemorheological and Antioxidant Responses in Overweight Women”

Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under (CC BY-NC 4.0) license

Authors

1 Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kurdistan, Iran.

2 Department of Sport Science,, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kurdistan, Iran.

Abstract

Aims: Overweight is commonly associated with hemorheological impairments and increased oxidative stress. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and caffeine consumption can improve these parameters; however, their combined effects remain unclear.The present study aimed to investigate the effect of acute caffeine ingestion prior to a single HIIT session on plasma viscosity, fibrinogen, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in overweight women.

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, 45 overweight women (25–35 years; BMI 25–30 kg/m²) were randomly assigned to three groups (n=15 each): HIIT+caffeine (6 mg/kg body weight), HIIT+placebo, and control+placebo. The HIIT protocol consisted of four 4-minute running bouts at 85–90% of maximal heart rate, interspersed with 3-minute active recovery periods at 50–60% HRmax. Blood samples were collected at baseline and immediately after exercise to assess hemorheological and oxidative stress indices.

Results: A significant group × time interaction was observed for plasma viscosity (p=0.01, η²=0.19), fibrinogen (p=0.02, η²=0.16), and TAC (p<0.001, η²=0.28), but not for MDA (p=0.27). In the HIIT+caffeine group, plasma viscosity (−9.1%) and fibrinogen (−6.3%) decreased, while TAC (+25.4%) increased (p<0.05). Changes in the HIIT+placebo group were smaller and non-significant, and no changes were observed in the control group.

Conclusion: Acute caffeine ingestion prior to HIIT improved hemorheological and antioxidant responses in overweight women without increasing lipid peroxidation. This simple, low-cost approach may contribute to vascular health and oxidative balance in this population.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Research in Exercise Nutrition
Volume 4, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
December 2026
Pages 21-31

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 11 November 2025
  • Revise Date: 09 February 2026
  • Accept Date: 17 February 2026
  • First Publish Date: 17 February 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics