July 19, 2024 – Everyone knows that exercise helps both body and mind, but high-intensity interval training (HIIT) offers older adults an even greater boost for long-term brain health, compared to less intense workouts.
Performing high-intensity interval exercises for just 6 months can improve an older person’s brain function for up to 5 years, according to a new study published in Aging and Disease.
Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia divided 151 people ages 65 to 85 into three exercise groups: HIIT training, in which they ran four cycles on a treadmill at near maximum exertion; medium-intensity training, such as brisk treadmill walking; or low-intensity training, such as balancing and stretching
After 6 months, researchers measured the brain health of the people in the study with cognitive testing, blood testing for biomarkers, and high-resolution brain scans of the hippocampus, the area responsible for learning and memory.
People in the HIIT group showed an improvement that happened right away and lasted for years, whereas people in the two other exercise groups remained stable.
“Six months of high-intensity interval training is enough to flick the switch,” Perry Bartlett, PhD, a professor emeritus at the university's Queensland Brain Institute, said in a news release. “We followed up with them 5 years after the program, and incredibly, they still had improved cognition, even if they hadn’t kept up with the exercises.”
The researchers want to do further research into biomarkers and how genetic factors affect a person’s response to exercise. One of their major takeaways is that getting people, especially older people, to exercise more will have an impact on society right away.
“If we can change the trajectory of ageing and keep people cognitively healthier for longer with a simple intervention like exercise, we can potentially save our community from the enormous personal, economic, and social costs associated with dementia,” Bartlett said.
Previous studies have shown that people who exercise on a regular basis generally have better overall health, including improved brain health. A study published last year found that seniors who enrolled in tai chi classes showed improved performance on memory tests.
