Exercising regularly is linked to multiple health benefits, including maintaining cognitive abilities and possibly reducing the risk of dementia.
Results of a study published online on July 8, 2024 by Aging and illness suggest that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) might be better for brain health than other less vigorous routines. HIIT workouts consist of repeated cycles of short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by brief “recovery” periods of lower-intensity movements.
In the study, researchers enrolled 151 healthy adults, ages 65 to 86, in a six-month exercise program. Participants underwent a battery of tests to assess the functioning of the hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with learning and memory. Everyone was randomly assigned to do one of three half-hour exercise routines: balance and stretching, brisk walking on a treadmill, or four HIIT cycles on a treadmill. (Each HIIT cycle lasted four minutes at 85% to 95% of a person’s maximum heart rate, followed by three minutes of recovery.)
Everyone did about 30 minutes of training three days a week for about six months, for a total of 72 sessions. On repeated testing, only HIIT users showed positive changes in hippocampal functioning compared to their initial assessment. In a follow-up assessment five years later, the researchers found that, again, only people in the HIIT group retained their improved cognitive function, even though they no longer did HIIT.
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