Here’s a story that appeared in The Australian.
Short bursts of exercise can help neutralise the effects of ageing, and older people benefit more than the young.
US scientists found high-intensity interval training can reverse the loss of function of the mitochondria, the power packs of the cells, effectively stopping ageing at the cellular level.
The findings, published today in the journal Cell Metabolism, offer new insights into the molecular mechanisms triggered by exercise. Lead researcher Sreekumaran Nair said mitochondria converted fuel from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate or ATP, an energy-carrying molecule essential for all cellular processes.
“Mitochondrial capacity declines with age, affecting many vital cellular functions,” said Dr Nair, a diabetes researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He said the new study found interval training sped up the production of mitochondrial proteins, cancelling out this decline.
The study involved two groups of volunteers, one aged 18-30 and the other 65-80. They were subjected to three different exercise regimes: cycling sprints interspersed with light pedalling; strength training with weights; and a combination of the two.
After 12 weeks, biopsies were taken from the volunteers’ thigh muscles and compared with tissue samples from sedentary people.
The analysis showed cycling had the biggest benefit at the cellular level, significantly boosting mitochondrial capacity. The benefit was most pronounced among the older participants, whose mitochondrial function increased by an average of 69 per cent compared to 49 per cent for the younger volunteers.
The interval training also improved the participants’ insulin sensitivity, suggesting a lower risk of developing diabetes.
However, resistance training proved more effective at improving muscle strength, which also declines with ageing. Nair said a combination of the two approaches — 3-4 days of interval training followed by a couple of days of strength work — appeared to offer the best rewards.
“But if people have to pick one exercise, I would recommend high-intensity interval training,” he said.
The study found that interval training had a particularly beneficial effect on the components of the ribosomes, the protein-synthesising sites within cells. This boosted production of mitochondrial proteins, which in turn enhanced other types of cellular activity.
Late last year a study co-authored by the University of Sydney found that racquet sports such as tennis, squash and badminton were the exercises most likely to prolong life — a result the researchers credited to the stop-start nature of these sports, which mimics interval training. (End of story)
If you’d like some great music to guide your interval training, whether you’re on an exercise bike, walking, rowing, swimming or running, check out Life Spints. For me, I’ll go with the combination of strength training once or twice a week with interval training at least twice a week.
