July 19, 2024 – Everyone knows that exercise is nice for each the body and mind, but high-intensity interval training (HIIT) offers older adults a good greater boost to long-term brain health in comparison with less intense workouts.
Performing high-intensity interval training for just 6 months can improve an older person’s brain function for as much as 5 years, in accordance with a latest study published in Ageing and disease.
Researchers on the University of Queensland in Australia divided 151 people aged 65 to 85 into three training groups: HIIT training, during which they accomplished 4 cycles on a treadmill at near-maximum effort; moderate-intensity training, similar to brisk walking on a treadmill; or low-intensity training, similar to balance exercises and stretching exercises.
After six months, researchers measured the brain health of study participants using cognitive tests, blood tests for biomarkers and high-resolution brain scans of the hippocampus, the world answerable for learning and memory.
Participants within the HIIT group showed immediate improvement that lasted for years, while participants in the opposite two training groups remained stable.
“Six months of high-intensity interval training is enough to flip the switch,” said Dr. Perry Bartlett, professor emeritus on the university’s Queensland Brain Institute, in a Press release“We followed them up five years after the program and it was incredible that their cognitive abilities were still improving even though they had stopped doing the exercises.”
The researchers plan to further explore biomarkers and the way genetic aspects influence an individual's response to exercise. One of their key findings is that getting people, especially older people, to exercise more can have an instantaneous impact on society.
“If we can reverse the aging process and maintain people's cognitive health for longer through a simple measure like physical exercise, we may be able to spare our society the enormous personal, economic and social costs associated with dementia,” Bartlett said.
Previous studies have shown that folks who exercise commonly generally have higher overall health, including improved brain health. study A study published last 12 months found that seniors who took Tai Chi classes performed higher on memory tests.