Introduction: The prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases has necessitated the discovery of effective strategies to enhance cardiovascular health, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and endurance training with garlic extract.
Methods: Thirty-six Wistar rats with an average weight of 180±30 g were purchased and randomly divided into six groups: 1)control, 2)garlic extract, 3)HIIT training, 4)endurance training, 5)HIIT training + garlic extract, and 6)endurance training+garlic extract. HIIT and endurance training were performed for 8 weeks, 5 sessions per week. Garlic extract was given as a solution at a dose of 250 mg/kg throughout the study.
Results: The data showed that ICAM-1 was significantly different in the control group compared to the HIIT group (P=0.001), endurance training (P=0.005), HIIT+garlic supplement (P=0.001), and endurance training+garlic supplement (P=0.001). There was a significant difference between the garlic supplement groups and the HIIT group (P=0.02), HIIT+garlic supplement (P=0.001), and endurance training+garlic supplement (P=0.02). On the other hand, a significant difference was observed between the endurance training groups and the HIIT+garlic supplement group (P=0.04). Tukey's test for VCAM-1 levels showed a significant difference between the control group pairs and the HIIT group (P=0.01), HIIT+garlic supplement (P=0.002), and endurance training+garlic supplement (P=0.005). There was a significant difference between the garlic supplement groups and the HIIT + garlic supplement (P = 0.01) and endurance training + garlic supplement (P = 0.03) groups.
Conclusion: It seems that HIIT and endurance training with garlic extract can reduce ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in healthy rats and lead to a decrease in vascular inflammation.