Health Benefits Of High-Intensity Exercise: HIIT Fights The Aging Process In Older Adults, Study Finds
High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, has many health benefits for people of all ages, but a new study reveals it may even help reverse aspects of the aging process in older adults.
HIIT workouts alternate between short bursts of intense exercise followed by moderate activity. In the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, researchers found older adults who did HIIT had greater cellular changes than those who worked out more moderately. Specifically, cellular changes involving energy production were affected.
Read: Complete Guide To HIIT: Everything You Need To Know About High-Intensity Interval Training
Older adults who are sedentary should not jump straight into high-intensity workouts, and should consult their doctor before exercising, lead researcher K. Sreekumaran Nair explained, according to Medical Xpress. Although HIIT was seen as the fountain of youth, other exercises still bring many health benefits, Nair notes.
The study included 72 younger adults (ages 18-30 years) and older adults (65-80 years) who were sedentary. The participants were broken up into three groups and were assigned to different exercise routines for a 12-week period. One group did HIIT, another performed moderate aerobic exercise with light strength-training, and the third group strictly did strength training.
At the end of the 12-week period, all of the groups showed positive changes.
Dr. Chip Lavie, from the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans, praised the study and said this adds to the growing body of research citing HIIT as one of the best workouts, according to Medical Xpress.
“It would be ideal to get more people to do high-intensity interval training,” said Lavie, “and it’s possible for more-motivated individuals.”
Other studies have showed HIIT will help you burn more fat, build a healthier heart, and increase your metabolism, among many other health benefits.
