Short, high-intensity exercise boosts heart health in teens
According a study, teens just need around 10 minutes of high-intensity exercise three times a week to reduce risk of heart conditions in the future.
Even apparently healthy teenagers showed significant improvements in markers which are indicators of cardiovascular health, according to research by the University of Exeter.
Currently, it is recommended that teenagers perform a minimum of 60 minutes of daily exercise to prevent future disease, however according to the Health Survey for England less than 30% of teen boys and 20% of teen girls achieve this amount. Furthermore, efforts to increase physical activity levels in this age group often fail. It’s therefore important to consider how shorter durations of exercise can be optimised for future health.
The research team, led by Dr Alan Barker, has previously demonstrated that high-intensity interval exercise may provide superior health benefits and be more enjoyable than moderate-intensity exercise for teenagers. The team has now demonstrated that performing eight to 10 minutes of high-intensity interval exercise three times per week can improve important markers of cardiovascular health, even in apparently healthy adolescents. It could mean teenagers could significantly reduce the risk to their health by exercising at a high-intensity for three blocks of half an hour each week, including rest time.
The team asked six girls and seven boys aged between 13 and 14, all from Sidmouth Community College, to carry out six high-intensity workouts over two weeks. They were asked to cycle in high-speed bursts of one minute, with a 75 second break in between. They started with eight bursts and built up to ten over the two weeks.
The results showed that the training improved both blood vessel function and the brain’s ability to control the beating of the heart. Both of these measures are considered to be important markers of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in UK. Interestingly, these health improvements occurred despite no alteration to traditional markers of health, such as blood pressure and blood sugar.
Category: Features, Wellness and Complementary Therapies
