Background: Chronic inflammation associated with breast cancer (BC) poses a major challenge in care management and may be ameliorated by physical activity. This randomized controlled trial assessed the effects of a 12-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on inflammatory markers, body composition, and physical fitness in BC survivors (BCS). Methods: Forty BCS (age = 57 ± 1 years; body mass [BM] = 74.8 ± 1.5 kg; VO_2peak = 20.8 ± 2.1 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹) were randomly assigned to three groups: HIIT (n = 15), MICT (n = 15), or control (CON; n = 15). The intervention groups (HIIT and MICT) performed their respective exercise protocols on a cycle ergometer 3 days/week for 12 weeks while the CON group maintained their current lifestyle. Baseline and post-intervention assessments included body composition (BM, fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM)), physical fitness (VO_2peak, lower body strength (LBS), upper body strength (UBS)), and serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-10 (IL-10), leptin, and adiponectin. Results: Both intervention groups significantly (p < 0.05) decreased BM (HIIT = −1.8 kg, MICT = −0.91 kg), FM (HIIT = −0.81 kg, MICT = −0.18 kg), TNF-α (HIIT = −1.84 pg/mL, MICT = −0.99 pg/mL), IL-6 (HIIT = −0.71 pg/mL, MICT = −0.36 pg/mL), leptin (HIIT = −0.35 pg/mL, MICT = −0.16 pg/mL) and increased VO_2peak (HIIT = 0.95 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, MICT = 0.67 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹), LBS (HIIT = 2.84 kg, MICT = 1.53 kg), UBS (HIIT = 0.53 kg, MICT = 0.53 kg), IL-10 (HIIT = 0.63 pg/mL, MICT = 0.38 pg/mL), and adiponectin (HIIT = 0.23 ng/mL, MICT = 0.1 ng/mL) compared to baseline. The changes in BM, FM, TNF-α, leptin, and LBS were significantly greater in HIIT compared to all other groups. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that compared to the often-recommended MICT, HIIT may be a more beneficial exercise therapy for the improvement of inflammation, body composition and LBS in BCS; and consequently, merits long-term study

Background: We evaluated the effects of high-protein dairy milk ingestion on changes in body composition, strength, power, and skeletal muscle regulatory markers following 6 weeks of resistance training in trained young males. Methods: Thirty resistance-trained young males (age: 27 ± 3 years; training experience: 15 ± 2 months) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: high-protein dairy milk (both whey and casein) + resistance training (MR; n = 15) or isoenergetic carbohydrate (maltodextrin 9%) + resistance training (PR; n = 15). Milk and placebo were ingested immediately post-exercise (250 mL; 30 g protein) and 30 min before sleep (250 mL; 30 g protein). Before and after 6 weeks of linear periodized resistance training (4 times/week), body composition (bioelectrical impedance), strength, power, and serum levels of skeletal muscle regulatory markers (insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), growth hormone, testosterone, cortisol, follistatin, myostatin, and follistatin–myostatin ratio) were assessed. Results: The MR group experienced a significantly higher (p < 0.05) increase in lean mass, strength, and power (upper- and lower-body) than the PR group. Further, IGF-1, growth hormone, testosterone, follistatin, and follistatin–myostatin ratio were significantly increased, while cortisol and myostatin significantly decreased in the MR group than the PR group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The strategic ingestion of high-protein dairy milk (post-exercise and pre-sleep) during 6 weeks of resistance training augmented lean mass, strength, power, and altered serum concentrations of skeletal muscle regulatory markers in trained young males compared to placebo.

We examined the effects of six weeks of dark chocolate supplementation combined with interval jump rope exercise (JRE) on inflammatory cytokines, adipokines, and body composition in obese adolescent boys. Forty-eight obese adolescent boys (age = 15.4 ± 1.1 years and body mass index = 32.2 ± 2.4 kg/m²) were randomly assigned into one of four groups: JRE + white chocolate (JW; n = 13), JRE + dark chocolate supplementation (JD; n = 13), dark chocolate supplementation (DS; n = 12), or control (C; n = 12). Participants in JW and JD groups performed JRE for three times per week for six weeks. Participants in the DS and JD groups consumed 30 g of dark chocolate containing 83% of cocoa. Body composition, pro-inflammatory cytokines ((hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6), adipokines (leptin, resistin, RBP-4, chemerin, MCP-1), and anti-inflammatory adipokines (irisin, adiponectin)) were evaluated prior to and after the intervention trials. All three intervention trials significantly (p < 0.05) decreased body mass, waist-hip ratio, fat mass, hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, leptin, resistin, RBP-4, and MCP-1, and increased irisin and adiponectin concentrations. The improvements in these parameters were greater in the JD group, and additionally, chemerin concentrations decreased only in the JD group. JD enhanced adiponectin concentrations and decreased IL-6 concentrations compared to C. Moreover, JD significantly reduced chemerin concentrations, an effect not observed in any of the other interventions. We demonstrated that dark chocolate supplementation potentiated JRE-induced decreases in body mass, WHR, FM, hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, leptin, resistin, RBP-4, and MCP-1, chemerin as well as increases irisin and adiponectin concentrations in obese adolescent boys. Therefore, JRE combined with dark chocolate supplementation could be a beneficial in reducing obesity-induced inflammation in adolescent boys.