In a new study, researchers found people aged over 60 can reduce the risk of age-related illnesses such as dementia through just two minutes of exercise per week
The research was conducted by a team from Abertay University.
The ground-breaking study saw 17 people aged between 60 and 75 take part in two training sessions per week for 10 weeks.
The group took part in what is known as sprint interval training (SIT) and were asked to cycle as hard as they could on a stationary bike for six seconds before resting.
They then repeated the process until they achieved a total of one minute of high-intensity exercise in each session.
Each participant had high blood pressure—a risk factor for dementia—and was on medication to control their blood pressure.
By the end of the study, their blood pressure had fallen to normal, healthy levels. This happened without any change in medication or diet.
The team says there is an aging population and people are living for longer. However, their lifestyles aren’t necessarily healthier.
There’s a big increase in the number of people who have movement difficulties and in the number of people who have illnesses associated with aging such as dementia, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
The study shows this simple exercise is a way to reduce blood pressure, and this could potentially lead to a reduction in long term frailty and in the extent of dementia in older people.
The lead author of the study is Dr. John Babraj, a lecturer in Exercise Physiology.
The study is published in Sport Sciences for Health.
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