A single hour of training a week is hardly enough to become a world champion in anything. But – here comes the good news: It is enough to get significant health benefits. New research shows that even a few minutes of exercise both improves heart health and reduces the risk of dementia. The pulse determines HUNT is a large Norwegian health survey of residents of Trøndelag. Since the first round in 1984, 240,000 people from Trondheim have taken part. Now researchers at CERG (Cardiac Exercise Research Group) at NTNU have gone into the large amounts of data and looked at the effect exercise has on our health. The results are clear: What determines whether you have a positive health effect from exercise is what they call the PAI score. PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence) is a measure of activity. And several heart rate monitors calculate your PAI points automatically. You earn points every time your heart rate increases and you get more points the higher your heart rate. One hour of heart rate at 80 percent of your maximum heart rate gives 100 PAI points. It lasts for a whole week. What activity you do does not matter. What matters is that you increase your heart rate. The higher the heart rate, the less training is needed to reach 100 PAI a week. Maybe dance is the thing for you? Or football? Can prevent dementia Whether you dance, swim, jog, play football or climb stairs doesn’t matter. You can also collect PAI without training hard, but then it takes longer. Most people know that it is good for the heart to have a slightly higher heart rate now and then, but the study also shows other positive effects. Among 30,000 participants in HUNT1 in the mid-1980s, 2,000 developed dementia. Half died from the disease. At the same time, the researchers find health benefits among those who in the survey in the 1980s scored 0 PAI points, but who increased to 100 points in the next survey 10 years later. – Those who reach 100 PAI live longer without dementia. Those who do get the diagnosis, get it three years later on average and live longer with it. This is what PhD student Atefe Tari at CERG tells news. This is the effect of 100 PAI Photo: Illustration photo: Colourbox PAI is a research-based measure of physical activity and health. All activity that increases the heart rate counts towards your PAI points. 1 hour per week at 80 percent of maximum heart rate corresponds to 100 PAI points. You calculate your maximum heart rate according to this formula: 211 minus 0.64 x age. According to the researchers at NTNU, these are the effects you can expect: 5-10 years of increased lifespan with good health. 20-30 percent reduced risk of lifestyle diseases such as heart attacks, dementia and obesity. Better sleep The health benefits of 200 PAI are not greater than at 100 PAI. Source: CERG, NTNU PULSE: For most people, a couple of sessions a week with a little pulse is sufficient, says Atefe R. Tari at CERG Photo: Anders Werner Øfsti / news The study also shows that the health benefits are even greater if you do not exercise before . – It is never too late to start. Small changes also result in a change in risk. In some cases, we see that 50 PAI is enough. It shows how important it is that we reach the inactive, says Tari.
ttn-69
One hour of exercise a week prevents dementia and improves heart health – news Trøndelag
