Effect of high-intensity interval exercise on renal artery hemodynamics in healthy young adults

BACKGROUND: High-intensity interval exercise is useful for sustained exercise; however, its effect on renal artery hemodynamics is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate changes in renal artery blood flow velocity due to high-intensity interval exercise. METHODS: Ten healthy adults (age, 23.5±1.2 years) completed high-intensity interval exercise and moderate-intensity continuous exercise protocols on separate days. The high-intensity interval exercise protocol (total duration, 26 min) comprised eight sets of high-intensity exercise sessions at 85% maximum oxygen uptake for 1 min, with intervals of 40% maximum oxygen uptake for 2 min between sets. The moderate-intensity continuous exercise protocol comprised 40 min of exercise at 40% maximum oxygen uptake. Renal artery blood flow velocity and natural log-transformed high frequency spectral power (an index of cardiac parasympathetic nervous system activity) were measured before and after exercise. Additionally, exercise enjoyment was measured using a questionnaire. RESULTS: Renal artery blood flow velocity did not significantly differ between protocols or timepoints for either protocol. However, the natural log-transformed high frequency spectral power was significantly lower with high-intensity interval exercise than with moderate-intensity continuous exercise (P<0.001, F=25.97) during exercise and at 10 min after exercise, and it did not return to pre-exercise levels with high-intensity interval exercise. Moreover, there was no significant difference in exercise enjoyment between the two protocols. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy young adults, high-intensity interval exercise reduces parasympathetic activity; however, it does not produce any significant changes in renal artery hemodynamics after exercise.