Changes in serum brain derived neurotrophic factor following high intensity interval training among obese undergraduates

Abstract

The study examined changes in Serum Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) following High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) programme among obese undergraduates. The pretest-posttest randomized experimental design was employed for the study. The population of the study comprised one hundred and twenty (120) obese undergraduates, out of which a total of twenty-four (24) obese undergraduates made up the sample for the study. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select the participants. The anthropometric profiles of the participants were descriptively analyzed using mean and standard deviation, while independent sample t-test was used to test the hypothesis. Statistical significance was accepted at p value of <0.05. The results obtained indicated an increase in Serum BDNF (1.05 1.4 vs 1.42 2.2) among HIIT group, with no statistical significant difference. It was therefore concluded that the HIIT protocol-initiated alterations in the serum BDNF concentration of the obese undergraduates. HIIT may represent an effective intervention for elevating BDNF levels, as well as potentially promoting brain health. It was recommended that further research with prolonged exercise duration and larger sample size is required to elicit statistical significance, as well as to confirm the finding that increased serum BDNF levels are associated with HIIT intervention among obese undergraduate population.