High-intensity Exercise Benefits Older People

High-intensity interval training provided the most health benefits for older people aged 70-79, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal BMJ.

"Training frequently at high intensity has an extra positive effect," states Dorthe Stensvold, a professor in the Cardiac Exercise Research Group.

‘Twice-a-week high-intensity training has a marked effect on fitness and overall well being in people over 70. ’

Researchers, healthcare professionals, and people worldwide are eager to discover the answer to the question: Can exercise give older people a longer and healthier life? Generation 100 is the first significant study that can tell us that, and Stensvold has promising news.

"Among most 70-77-year-olds in Norway, 90 percent will survive next five years. In the Generation 100 study, over 95 percent of the 1500 participants survived!" she stated.

The five-year-long study, which started in 2012, randomly divided healthy participants into three different exercise training groups.

One group was assigned to high-intensity exercise training, while group two was instructed to train at a steady, moderate-intensity and the third group is the control group.

The study found that both physical and mental quality of life was better in the high-intensity group after five years compared to the other two groups. High-intensity interval training also had the greatest positive effect on fitness.

Source: Medindia