Aging has been providing an inexhaustible source of research for the scientific world. This life process that all humans are convicted to is barely the accumulation of changes that we go through. A new study highlights the importance of exercises. Instead of adding to the spectrum of changes, this preoccupation keeps the body strong and fortifies it against deterioration. While all types of physical activities are good, there is a particular one that scientists found it to be a real youth elixir.
The Youth Elixir is the High-Intensity Interval Training
The journal Cell Metabolism has just published a research paper that tackled once more the relationship between an active lifestyle and aging. The findings of the study encourage people to pursue all types of physical activities. However, the article praises the high-intensity interval training above all. This kind of exercise is capable of reversing the effects of aging. The process works at a cellular level.
The study was extremely careful to provide accurate results for both young and old groups. Thus, there were two groups of participants selected by age. All of them had to put in practice a strict schedule of high-intensity interval training. The results were spectacular. The young group recorded a 49% increase in mitochondrial capacity. On the other hand, the seniors saw a greater boost of 69%.
HIIT Is the Only Exercise that Can Activate Mitochondrial Capacity
The mitochondrial capacity or biogenesis is triggered whenever there is acertain boost of energy throughout the body. Once the process is activated, cells start to inflate their mitochondrial mass. Moreover, they begin to increase their cell metabolism and feed the body with more energy than usual.
Studies showed that the mitochondrial capacity is slowing down as people are aging. Its performance deterioration can lead to serious health issues such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes. However, the new research paper shows that HIIT is capable of reversing the majority effects of this degradation.
The senior author of the study, Dr. Sreekumaran Nair, is impressed by the results. He claimed that the power of HIIT exercises has no other equivalent that is known to the scientific world.
“Based on everything we know, there’s no substitute for these exercise programs when it comes to delaying the aging process. These things we are seeing cannot be done by any medicine.”
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