Evaluation of the Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Cytokine Levels and Clinical Course in Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder

OBJECTIVE: Opioid use disorder (OpUD) is a biological and psychosocial disorder with limited treatment options. Addition of physical exercise to the pharmacological treatment has been proposed to be effective on reducing substance use and improving the quality of life. In this study we aimed to investigate the effects of a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program on the serum levels of cortisol, insulin-like growth factor1 (IGF-1), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin 17 (IL-17) and the clinical progress of inpatients with OpUD. METHOD: Our study enrolled 22 male inpatients diagnosed with OpUD on the basis of the DSM-5 criteria. Two groups of 11 individuals were formed as the exercise (EG) and the control (CG) groups. The EG conducted 5 sessions of a HIIT. Participant data were collected with Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Addiction Profile Index (API), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11). Also, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and the Substance Craving Scale (SCS) were used before and after the treatment program in order to evaluate the clinical progress. Blood samples were collected on the 5th and the 21st days for estimation of the serum cortisol, IGF-1, IFN-γ and the IL-17 levels. RESULTS: Comparison of the pre- and the post- treatment performances of the two groups on the HAM-D, the HAM-A and the SCS indicated a significant drop in the respective scores of the EG. Also, a significant increase was observed in the post-treatment IGF-1 level of the EG as compared to the CG. No differences were observed between the cortisol, IFN-γ and IL-17 levels of the EG and the CG. CONCLUSION: HIIT resulted in significant reduction in the symptoms of depression, anxiety and substance craving, and increased the serum IGF-1 levels. HIIT did not change serum cortisol, IFN-γ and IL-17 levels. We believe this research will contribute to the literature on the treatment of opioid depencence by emphasising the effects of HIIT on patients treated for OpUD.