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Comment & Response
June 15, 2022

High-Intensity Interval Training vs Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training for Women Undergoing Cardiovascular Rehabilitation

Author Affiliations
  • 1Exercise Physiology and Cardiovascular Health Lab, Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  • 2School of Human Kinetic, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  • 3School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
JAMA Cardiol. 2022;7(8):875. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2022.1476

To the Editor Women continue to be highly underrepresented in cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) research. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have demonstrated the similar and superior efficacy of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on increasing peak oxygen uptake (peak Vo2) compared with moderate-intensity continuous training (MCT).1 However, these studies predominantly included men; HIIT in women with cardiovascular disease is, thus, recommended without empirical support.2 To address this gap, Khadanga et al3 evaluated the effect of HIIT combined with high-intensity lower extremity resistance training (RT) and MCT with moderate-intensity RT on peak Vo2 in women enrolled in CR. The key finding was that HIIT led to a significantly greater increase in peak Vo2 compared with MCT in women.

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