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Home » Exercise Programs » High-Intensity Interval Training Could Help You Live Longer | Care2 … – Care2.com

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is all the rage in the fitness world right now.Many exerciseenthusiasts tout itsbenefits, including more efficient calorie burning and improvements inmetabolism. And now there could be one other big reason to love HIIT it may helpreverse the aging process.

Rather than working out at a moderate, steady pace for a longer period of time, such as an hour, HIIT switches things up. This type of interval trainingencourages vigorous, sprint-inspired exercises in very short bursts of30 seconds to a minute, followed by short rest periodsbefore repeating it all over again and finishing several rounds in as little as 10 to 15minutes.

Researchers recently publishedastudyin the journal Cell Metabolism that examinedwhat was happening at the cellular level of participants who engaged in HIIT compared to other forms of exercise. Their findings suggest that HIIT led to improvements in age-related decline in muscle mitochondria.

Thirty-sixmen and 36 women participated in the study. The researchers divided themby age, with one younger group ofthose between ages 18 and30, and one older groupof individuals between ages 65 and80.

The participants in both age groups were instructed to follow one of three 12-week exercise programs a HIIT program, a weight training program or a combination of both. The HIIT program involved cycling in bursts three days a week and treadmill walking two days a week.

Not surprisingly, all participants in every group improved their fitness levels by the end of the 12-week period. But those who followed the HIIT program experienced the greatest benefits when researchers examined changesat the cellularlevel.

The mitochondrial capacity, a response to greater energy expenditure,increased by 49 percent on average in the younger group and by as much as 69 percent in the older group. This processslows down as we age, but the older group that completed the HIIT program showed improvements comparable to the cells found in bodies of younger people. The weight training program and combined HIIT plus weight training didnt seem to affect the mitochondrial capacity much at all.

Both young and old who completed the HIIT program also experienced improvements in their insulin sensitivity, which lowersthe risk of diabetes. In addition to that, there wasan increase in ribosome activity, which helps build muscle.

The researchers concluded that HIIT may be very effective for reversing age-related changes in cells, but an article published byPopular Science regardingthe study stresses that there are still too many caveats to make such a conclusion without further investigation.

While HIIT is a fantastic form of exercise for anyone who is able and willing to do it, studies that examine the effects of exercise at the cellular level dont tell the whole story and fail to consider other factorsto people in a practical sense such as their desires to build muscle, slim down, and so on.

More research is needed, but that doesnt mean you cant start a HIIT regimen now or in the near future. Other recent research has found that people tend to preferHIIT over moderate-intensity exercise, so if youre looking to switch things up in your workout, HIIT could be a seriously great solution.

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Photo Credit: Thinkstock

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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High-Intensity Interval Training Could Help You Live Longer | Care2 ... - Care2.com

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Home » Exercise Programs » High-Intensity Interval Training Could Help You Live Longer | Care2 … – Care2.com