Aquatic High-Intensity Interval Training Aids Exercise Capacity for Chronic Conditions

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Aquatic high-intensity interval training (AHIIT) improves exercise capacity in people with a range of chronic conditions, according to a review published online Nov. 14 in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.

Heidi Bunæs-Næss, from Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to investigate the effect of AHIIT on exercise capacity in people with chronic conditions (musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic, or neurological).

Based on 18 included studies (868 participants), the researchers found moderate certainty in evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system for a moderate beneficial effect of AHIIT on exercise capacity (standardized mean differences [SMD], 0.78; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.48 to 1.08; P < 0.00001) versus a nonexercising control group. Compared with land-based HIIT, there was moderate certainty in evidence for no difference of effects on exercise capacity (SMD, 0.28; 95 percent CI, −0.04 to 0.60; P = 0.08) with AHIIT. Compared with aquatic moderate-intensity continuous training, AHIIT had moderate certainty in evidence for a small effect on exercise capacity (SMD, 0.45; 95 percent CI, 0.10 to 0.80; P = 0.01).

"Aquatic HIIT may increase adherence to exercise training and should be considered as an exercise option," the authors write. 

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