By Doctor Nicola Sacchi - Author of the book: Drugs and doping in sport -
According to recent studies [1], aerobic activity is not the best strategy to prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases and insulin resistance, thus reducing the risk of developing diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome.
This is what Dr. Timmons and colleagues, who have conducted various experiments on the effects of physical activity on glucose control. These scientists state that aerobic activity does not prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance, while according to their studies, to achieve this three minutes a day of high-intensity training are most effective. "The efficacy of a high intensity exercise protocol, involving only ~ 250 kcal of work each week, to substantially improve insulin action in young sedentary subjects is remarkable. This novel time-efficient training paradigm can be used as a strategy to reduce metabolic risk factors in young and middle aged sedentary populations who otherwise would not adhere to time consuming traditional aerobic exercise regimes.”
Dr. Timmons supports this thesis because through a study he conducted on the effectiveness of some sprints on blood glucose control, he was able to verify how this type of activity allows to obtain surprising results. In this study the participants perform 4-6 sprints of 30 seconds at the maximum speed possible, interspersed with 4 minutes of recovery, carrying out this training for two weeks every two days. Before starting the training protocol and at the end of the two weeks, a test is performed to determine how blood sugar, insulin and NEFA (free fatty acids in the blood) vary over time following the intake of 70 g of glucose. These analyzes allow us to evaluate how the body responds to changes in circulating glucose levels, considering that a good regulation of the same is essential to understand if the carbohydrate metabolism is functioning properly.
Well, the subjects subjected to this training after the two weeks provided show a significant lowering of blood sugar, insulin and NEFA release compared to the values measured before the training protocol.
The reduction of these blood parameters is essential to promote health conditions, which are closely related to the body's ability to use the carbohydrates and fats introduced with food, preventing their accumulation.
This study shows for the first time how a few minutes of high intensity physical activity, for only two weeks, can considerably improve the sensitivity of the organism to the action of insulin, thus allowing a better management of glucose and fatty acids. benefits are the basis for reducing the risk of onset of metabolic disorders linked to the body's inability to manage glucose, which can then lead to the development of numerous cardiovascular diseases linked to insulin resistance and obesity.
[1] Extremely short duration high intensity interval training substantially improves insulin action in young healthy males.
John A Babraj, Niels BJ Vollaard, Cameron Keast, Fergus M Guppy, Greg Cottrell, and James A Timmons.
BMC Endocrine Disorders 2009, Jan 28, 9: 3.
