Comparing the Effects of One Session of Interval and Continuous Aerobic Exercise on Protein and Purine Catabolism among High School Boys in Gonabad-Iran

Aims: Protein, one of the energetic agents, possesses basic and biologic roles, but when the body faces a severe shortage in nutrients, proteins provides the required energy. This study was conducted to examine the impact of interval and continuous aerobic exercises on urea, uric acid, creatinine of urine, and protein catabolism among 15-18 year old boys at high schools.

Study Design: This was a quasi-experimental crossover study.

Place and Duration of Study: Molla Mozaffar Boarding High School for Boys and Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran. The study took about six months in 2013.

Methodology: Twenty voluntary high school boy students who were ordinary and healthy individuals but not athletes were selected randomly. At the beginning of each training session, they warmed up for 10 minutes. Then, activities were performed with the intensity of 65-75 percent of the maximum heart rate. The interval aerobic training was in 3 cycles of 1000 meters; and the active breaking mode of half to one was used between the repetitions. In the continuous aerobic training 3000 meter, practicing was performed continually without any breaks. Heart rate, the intensity of training, and the running distance were measured by the measuring gadgets on the treadmill. Before and after each exercise, the urine was collected for 24 hours. Urea, uric acid, and creatinine of the first 24-hour urine sample were determined.

Results: The results of the experiments were analyzed using t-test. There were not any significant differences among average levels of urea, uric acid, and creatinine of urine and protein catabolism rate in the first 24-hour urine sample after one session of interval and continuous aerobic exercise (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: It was found that one session of the interval and continuous aerobic exercise has no significant effect on protein catabolism rate among the 15-18 year old high school boy students.