Discussion
obesity, FM
OBESITY, VIRUS
Overall, this study revealed that all types of PA are negatively associated with relative whole-body and lower-body fatness. Furthermore, this is the first study to reveal a significant negative link between CAT and VPA in women with obesity. In this study, only HICT showed significantly positive effects in body fat and lean mass content (i.e. %BF, WC, FM, LBM, FFM, lower-extremity LBM) and muscular strength after just three weeks of training. Since this is an exploratory study, larger samples are required to detect differences between groups (HIIT Studies in activity-related behaviors have revealed strong relationships between reduced PA, increased sedentary time and obesity (To the best of our knowledge, no other studies have reported nor analyzed the associations between CAT and VPA levels. Analysis of the body composition revealed positive associations of CAT with WC and VAT that is consistent with the literature (Regarding diet’s composition, participants diet was not different from current guidelines for Americans, except for sugars 21.3% which were above the 10% recommended (Our data revealed negative correlations between consumption of both sugar and carbohydrates and MPA and LPA levels. Other studies have linked low levels of PA and increased sedentary behaviors (e.g., increased TV, video and computer time) with high sugar intake and other unhealthy dietary habits (e.g., poor vegetable and fruit consumption) (There is considerable interest in learning how to prevent CAT accumulation. Recent studies in the effectiveness of exercise interventions, have shown CAT reduction associated with improvements in FM or %BF (Our results emphasize the importance of the selection of an adequate exercise “dose” (i.e. frequency, intensity and time), mode (i.e. resistance, endurance), and format (i.e. traditional vs circuit format). Circuit training is a particularly well-liked exercise program style due to its ability to combine high-intensity resistance and aerobic interventions (This research is not without limitations. One important limitation is the sample size which limits the generalization of our results, so caution should be used when interpreting both CAT volume associations and the optimal exercise mode (HIIT versus HICT) to reduce CAT. The reason behind this was the interruption caused by COVID-19 (Corona virus) pandemic. Furthermore, in order to avoid the probability of committing type II error (given the small sample size) we did not perform Bonferroni correction; however, this might have increased the risk of a type I error linked to multiple comparisons. This exploratory research did not include Some important features strengthen this study. The research was designed following the criteria for cross-sectional and randomized control trials. The sample was homogeneous (women with obesity but otherwise healthy) and menstrual cycle was monitored to ensure all participants were evaluated during the same hormonal phase. In addition, samples on the pilot intervention (CON, HICT and HIIT) were equivalent at baseline. Another feature that strengthens this exploratory study is that the intensity prescribed in this program met the recommendations, and energy expenditure was monitored and matched in both HIIT and HICT; hence, allowing for realistic comparisons. Lastly, total CAT was measured 