The latest research! This exercise can delay brain aging and improve memory! Stick to it for 6 months and your brain will benefit for at least 5 years

Have you ever had a similar feeling:

As I get older, my memory becomes worse and worse. I often forget where I put something in the blink of an eye. It becomes more and more difficult to learn new knowledge and remember new information...

Cognitive ability is vital to a person, but it will inevitably decline with age. According to the results of the seventh national census, the aging of my country's population has further increased, and 15.5% of the population has mild cognitive impairment and 6% of the elderly have dementia[1]. Cognitive decline or impairment will not only increase the family's economic burden and care needs, but also reduce the quality of life of the entire family.

So, is there any way to slow down cognitive decline?
Recently, a study published in the journal Aging and Disease by Australian scientists showed that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can improve and maintain cognitive function in healthy elderly people for a long time, and the effect can still be seen within five years!

Research Interpretation

This study recruited 194 healthy elderly people aged 65 to 85 years old without cognitive impairment. The participants were randomly assigned to three different 6-month exercise intervention groups: low-intensity exercise (LIT), moderate-intensity exercise (MIT) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Participants in each group participated in 72 supervised exercise classes within 6 months. Among them, a total of 151 participants completed the 6-month exercise intervention.

In this study:

Low-intensity training (LIT): Participants performed 30 minutes of exercise, including 5 to 8 minutes of stretching, balance, range of motion, and cool-down tasks, with heart rate maintained at 45% to 55% of peak heart rate to ensure negligible cardiometabolic effects.

Medium Intensity Training (MIT): Participants performed continuous treadmill walking for 30 minutes with their heart rate maintained at 60% to 75% of their peak heart rate.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Each exercise session for participants totaled 25 minutes, including four 4-minute work periods with heart rate maintained at 85% to 95% of peak heart rate, and three 3-minute active recovery intervals with heart rate maintained at 60% to 70% of peak heart rate. Participants were required to reach the target heart rate within the first 2 minutes of each interval and maintain it until the end of the 4-minute interval.

All groups completed a 10-minute warm-up and a 5-minute cool-down period. Total exercise session duration was 45 minutes for the LIT, MIT, and 40 minutes for the HIIT groups, respectively. All training sessions were conducted under the supervision of a qualified exercise physiologist to ensure that individualized target heart rates were achieved and maintained.

By comparing the effects of 6 months of low-intensity, moderate-intensity and high-intensity interval training on brain health in people aged 65 to 85, the study found that only the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group showed significant improvement in hippocampus-dependent cognitive function after 6 months of exercise intervention. Not only that, the improvement in hippocampus-dependent cognitive function in the high-intensity interval training group not only persisted after the end of the 6-month exercise intervention, but also lasted for at least 5 years.

Participants who initially performed poorly on the PALTEA test (Paired Associative Learning Test, a paired associative learning test used to assess an individual's hippocampus-dependent cognitive functions, specifically spatial learning and memory abilities) showed significant improvements through high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

In the study, the high-intensity interval training group also showed changes in brain structure - the high-intensity group showed a reversal of volume loss in the hippocampus and several other cortical regions on MRI scans at 6 and 12 months, while the low-intensity (LIT) and moderate-intensity (MIT) groups showed age-related volume loss.

In addition to this study by Australian scientists, some previous studies have suggested that HIIT can improve cognitive function in the elderly by increasing blood flow, reducing neuroinflammation, regulating neurotrophins, and other mechanisms, thereby alleviating and improving cognitive decline in attention (sustained alertness, reaction, and the ability to quickly process information), memory (temporary storage and processing of information), and executive function (processes such as initiating and monitoring goal-oriented behaviors) [4][5].

What is High Intensity Interval Training

High-intensity interval training refers to a type of physical exercise that alternates between short, sustained high-intensity exercise and short periods of rest/low-intensity exercise.

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Many studies have shown that HIIT can not only increase anaerobic exercise capacity, but also improve aerobic and skeletal muscle metabolism. Among them, the latest related review "Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on the Parameters Related to Physical Fitness and Health of Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" [6] proposed that compared with no exercise or other exercise (such as moderate-intensity training), HIIT can improve the resting heart rate (HR) , systolic blood pressure, cardiovascular endurance (CRF) , body fat percentage (BF%) , muscle strength, muscle endurance and balance and other related physical fitness and health parameters in the elderly.

In addition, since HIIT exercise time is greatly reduced, the economy and practicality of exercise can be maximized.

Middle-aged and elderly people do HIIT exercise

Scientificity and safety are the most important

Although a large number of studies have shown that HIIT can significantly improve the cardiopulmonary and cognitive functions of the elderly, whether it will increase the risk of exercise for the elderly requires more research and sample size to confirm. Therefore, for middle-aged and elderly people who do HIIT, scientific exercise methods are an important step to ensure safety and improve compliance :

Before training:

1. Get a comprehensive health checkup, including a cardiac evaluation, to ensure there are no underlying health risks.

2. Discuss your personal health status and exercise goals with your doctor or fitness trainer to develop a suitable HIIT plan.

During training:

1. Take it step by step, start with low-intensity exercise and gradually increase the intensity to give your body time to adapt.

2. Warm up for at least 5 to 10 minutes before exercise, such as jogging, brisk walking or light stretching. After exercise, do some relaxation activities, such as slow walking and stretching, to help muscles recover.

3. Monitor your heart rate during exercise to ensure that the intensity of exercise is within a safe range. Pay attention to any signs of discomfort in the body, such as dizziness, chest pain or excessive fatigue, and stop exercising if necessary.

After training: 1. Rest and relaxation after exercise: For example, muscle relaxation after training can reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries to a certain extent. 2. Post-exercise monitoring: such as the reaction the day after training, etc.

When making an exercise plan, it is recommended to choose sports suitable for middle-aged and elderly people, such as cycling, swimming, brisk walking or using elliptical machines and other low-impact sports. Of course, you can also choose sports that you like, such as sprinting, high leg raises, etc. The recommended exercise frequency is 2 to 3 times a week (some studies have suggested that low-intensity exercise can be more effective if combined with exercise every week); the recommended exercise time is 4 to 45 minutes each time (the total time varies for different methods).

Special attention:

Middle-aged and elderly people with no training foundation need to undergo basic physical examinations regularly and carry out training step by step after evaluation and guidance from professionals.

References

[1] National Bureau of Statistics, Office of the Leading Group of the Seventh National Population Census of the State Council. Bulletin of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 1) - Basic Situation of the Seventh National Population Census [J]. 2021.

[2] Coetsee C , Terblanche E .The effect of three different exercise training modalities on cognitive and physical function in a healthy older population[J].European review of aging and physical activity: official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity, 2017, 14(1):13-13.DOI:10.1186/s11556-017-0183-5.

[3] Daniel G, Blackmore,Mia A, Schaumberg,Maryam, Ziaei et al. Long-Term Improvement in Hippocampal-Dependent Learning Ability in Healthy, Aged Individuals Following High Intensity Interval Training.[J] .Aging Dis, 2024, 0: 0.

[4] Li Ting, Zhang Xianliang, Zhao Na, et al. Research progress on the application and mechanism of high-intensity interval training in improving cognitive function in the elderly [J]. Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2023, 38(12):1777-1784.

[5] Smith PJ, Blumenthal JA, Hoffman BM, et al.Aerobic Exercise and Neurocognitive Performance: A Meta-Analytic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials[J].Psychosomatic Medicine, 2010, 72.DOI:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181d14633.

[6] Liang W , Wang

Planning and production

Author: Li Wenrui, popular science creator

Reviewer: Zhao Wei, Chief Physician of the Department of Neurology, Tianjin Teda Hospital

Planning丨Yang Yaping

Editor: Yang Yaping

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin