Can short bursts of intense exercise ease knee arthritis and protect the heart?

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥18- years * Diagnosis of tibiofemoral knee OA according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria * Radiographically confirmed diagnosis of tibiofemoral OA based on radiographs not older than 6 months. * Average knee pain level ≥ 4 (0=No pain and 10=Worst pain) over the past week (7 days) * At least one of following risk factors for development of cardiovascular disease: * Body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2 * Hypertension (or in treatment of): Systolic ≥ 135 and/or diastolic ≥ 85 mm Hg * Elevated HbA1c (or in treatment of): ≥ 130.7 mg/dL (44 mmol/mol) * Elevated Triglycerides (or in treatment of): ≥ 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L) * Elevated Cholesterol (or in treatment of) (Low density lipides, LDL): LDL ≥ 54 mg/dL (3.0 mmol/L) Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindication to exercise (e.g., resting systolic blood pressure \> 200 or diastolic blood pressure \> 115, acute or reoccurring chest pain) * Unstable body weight the last 3 months (gain/loss outside +/- 5 kg) * Planned weight loss (non-pharmacological, pharmacological, and surgical) during study participation * Known current cancer * Major cardiovascular event within the last 5 years * Insulin dependent type 1 or type 2 diabetes * Psoriatic, rheumatoid, or gouty arthritis disease * Generalized pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia * Lumbar or cervical nerve root compression syndromes * Scheduled surgery during study participation * Treatment with biological medication * Impairments that prevent performance in high intensity aerobic exercise * Current or planned participation in other health research intervention studies * Pregnant/considering pregnancy * Any other condition or impairment that, in the opinion of the investigator, makes a potential participant unsuitable for participation or which obstruct participation, such as a large knee joint effusion, uncontrolled diabetes/hypertension, psychiatric or cognitive disorders, language barriers, or opiate dependency.