Background and Objective: Type 2 diabetes and obesity are among the most common metabolic disorders and are often accompanied by hormonal changes, including decreased estrogen levels. Given the role of exercise in improving metabolic balance, examining the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on estrogen levels is of particular importance. Therefore, the present study, designed as an applied experimental research, aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of HIIT on serum estrogen levels in obese female rats with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: In this study, 40 female Wistar rats aged 8 weeks with an average weight of 200 g were obtained from the animal facility of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. After adaptation to laboratory conditions, the animals were randomly divided into four groups of 10 rats each: healthy control, diabetic control, healthy exercise, and diabetic exercise. To induce diabetes, a dose of 35 mg/kg of streptozotocin was injected intraperitoneally. The HIIT protocol was carried out for eight weeks, three sessions per week. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA, and Tukey’s post hoc test was applied for between-group comparisons.
Results: The findings indicated that type 2 diabetes significantly reduced serum estrogen levels. However, eight weeks of HIIT significantly increased estrogen levels, regardless of whether the rats were diabetic or healthy. Furthermore, the interaction effect between diabetes and training revealed that HIIT could partially counteract the negative impact of diabetes on serum estrogen levels.
Conclusion: Overall, the results suggest that exercise training, particularly HIIT, can serve as an effective complementary and non-pharmacological intervention in managing diabetes and improving hormonal balance. Incorporating such interventions into therapeutic and preventive programs may play a vital role in enhancing the health of women affected by type 2 diabetes and obesity.