Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42265787›Full record

ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2026

Concurrent improvement of cardiorespiratory fitness and modulation of inflammatory markers via 12-week high-intensity interval nordic walking in postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity: a quasi-experimental study.

Liang Tan, Kinga Humińska-Lisowska, Łukasz Radzimiński, Qing Zhang, Monika Michałowska-Sawczyn, Magdalena Dzitkowska-Zabielska, Zbigniew Ossowski

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06781541 (Physical Activity and Disability Prevention in Postmenopausal Women), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06781541 naactive not recruitingnot on this map

Physical Activity and Disability Prevention in Postmenopausal Women

TypeinterventionalSponsorGdansk University of Physical Education and SportRan2022 to 2025Enrolled72ConditionsMetabolic Syndrome, Fall Risk, Sarcopenia in Elderly, Osteopenia, OsteoporosisArmsNordic walking, Strength training, Bungy Pump Exercises, Daily life, Functional general conditioning training
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Liang TanGdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdansk, 80-336, Poland. liang.tan@awf.gda.pl.
Kinga Humińska-LisowskaGdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdansk, 80-336, Poland.
Łukasz RadzimińskiGdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdansk, 80-336, Poland.
Qing ZhangGdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdansk, 80-336, Poland.
Monika Michałowska-SawczynGdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdansk, 80-336, Poland.
Magdalena Dzitkowska-ZabielskaGdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdansk, 80-336, Poland.
Zbigniew OssowskiGdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdansk, 80-336, Poland. zbigniew.ossowski@awf.gda.pl.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMany postmenopausal women (PMW) with overweight and obesity experience reduced cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and chronic inflammation, predisposing them to various diseases. However, the effects of High-Intensity Interval Nordic Walking (HIINW) as exercise therapy on these markers remain underexplored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate physiological responses to a 12-week HIINW program on CRF and inflammatory markers, and their potential correlations, in PMW.

methodsThis quasi-experimental study assigned 45 PMW (age: 69.6 ± 3.93 years; BMI: 27.52 ± 4.34 kg/m²) with overweight/obesity to either an HIINW group (HIINWG; n = 23) or a control group (CG; n = 22). The HIINWG underwent the exercise intervention 3 times a week for 12 weeks, while the CG maintained their habitual lifestyle. Absolute and relative VO

resultsPost-intervention, HIINWG exhibited greater relative VO2max than CG (36.29 ± 5.63 vs. 32.18 ± 5.17 mL/kg/min, P < 0.01). HIINWG also showed significantly lower CRP (1.17 ± 0.92 vs. 1.65 ± 0.30 mg/L), TNF-α (7.42 ± 0.91 vs. 9.9 ± 1.37 pg/mL), and IL-6 (5.15 ± 1.03 vs. 7.13 ± 3.34 pg/mL), and higher adiponectin (8.55 ± 4.17 vs. 6.18 ± 3.09 µg/mL) compared to CG (all P < 0.05). Significant group×time interactions were observed for all variables (P < 0.05). Changes in absolute VO2max correlated negatively with IL-6 (r=-0.515, P < 0.05), while relative VO2max changes correlated positively with adiponectin (r = 0.427, P < 0.05).

conclusionsA 12-week HIINW intervention significantly enhanced CRF and modulated inflammatory markers (decreased CRP, TNF-α, IL-6; increased adiponectin) in PMW with overweight and obesity. CRF improvements correlated with specific inflammatory markers, providing preliminary evidence of a potential link between cardiovascular adaptations and inflammatory responses. These findings suggest HIINW may serve as a beneficial strategy for concurrent CRF enhancement and inflammation management.

trial registrationThe trial was registered with the Clinical Trials Research Center on 01/17/2025 (NCT06781541, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ ).

Indexed as

Cardiorespiratory fitnessHigh-intensity interval trainingInflammationNordic walkingOverweight and obesityPostmenopause

Identifiers

PMID42265787
PMCPMC13378057

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.