Effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise versus moderate-intensity continuous exercise on renal hemodynamics assessed by ultrasound echo

High-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) has become attractive for presenting a variety of exercise conditions. However, the effects of HIIE on renal function and hemodynamics remain unclear. This study aimed to compare the effects of HIIE and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) on renal hemodynamics, renal function, and kidney injury biomarkers. Ten adult males participated in this study. We allowed the participants to perform HIIE or MICE to consider the impact of exercise on renal hemodynamics under both conditions. Renal hemodynamic assessment and blood sampling were conducted before the exercise (pre) and immediately (post 0), 30 min (post 30), and 60 min (post 60) after the exercise. Urine sampling was conducted in the pre, post 0, and post 60 phases. There was no condition-by-time interaction (p = 0.614), condition (p = 0.422), or time effect (p = 0.114) regarding renal blood flow. Creatinine-corrected urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin concentrations increased at post 60 (p = 0.017), but none exceeded the cut-off values for defining kidney injury. Moreover, there were no significant changes in other kidney injury biomarkers at any point. These findings suggest that high-intensity exercise can be performed without decreased RBF or increased kidney injury risk when conducted intermittently for short periods. Visual summary of the current study.image