October 30, 2009 – Intense interval physical activity is even more beneficial than continuous exercise for improving cardiovascular health, says Dr.r Martin Juneau, director of prevention at the Montreal Heart Institute (ICM).
The cardiologist presented the results of a clinical trial1 that he led on physical exercise and heart health, during the French-speaking Symposium of medicine2 to Montreal.
Dr. Juneau insists that physical activity helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 30%. The good news is that interval training can achieve the same results in much less time.
“It’s about exercising at full intensity for 15 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest for 8 minutes,” explains Dr. Juneau. We then give ourselves a 4-minute break, followed by a 2e block of exercises identical to the first 8 minutes. “
This approach can be practiced by anyone who does not have heart problems. He already prescribes it to the participants in his study, that is to say people aged 70 and over and also to those who have heart disease. “Not only is this method safe, but its benefits exceed those obtained after 30 minutes of continuous exercise,” says Martin Juneau.
For heart patients aged 40 and over and people at high risk for coronary artery disease, this method should never be started with this method, says Dr. Juneau. “They first have to train beforehand with the classic continuous method. And if they are in good physical shape and the training is going well, then the intermittent method is introduced. “
The doctor does not recommend a particular exercise, nor a specific time interval. For him, the trick is to choose any variation, as long as you reach the anaerobic zone, that is to say when the cardiac effort is between 60% and 85% of your maximum capacity.
“To achieve optimal results, I advise my patients to alternate one day of interval exercise with another continuously,” he explains.
Healthy diet: physical activity and Mediterranean diet
The benefits of physical activity combined with healthy lifestyle habits, especially the Mediterranean diet, lower cardiovascular mortality by up to 60%, recalls Martin Juneau.
Better yet, French cardiologist Michel de Lorgeril3 was the first to demonstrate how the combination was found to be even more effective than statins at controlling high cholesterol in primary intervention, he says.
“I hear patients tell me that after 55, it’s too late. Fault! All longitudinal studies prove that improving your physical abilities quickly improves lung capacity, blood circulation, heart capacity and cell regeneration. The studies are unanimous, continues the researcher. Physical activity decreases the rate of morbidity (period during which a person is sick before dying) and disability by 25%, in the first year only!
For people aged 55 and over, we are talking about a reduction in the period of disability from 2 years to 3 years at the end of their life. Significant statistics, believes Martin Juneau.
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Read our other news on the French-speaking Symposium of Medicine: Managing your stress: the prescription of Dr Serge Marquis. |
Danny Raymond – HealthPassport.net
1. Guiraud T, Juneau M et al. Optimization of high-intensity interval exercise in coronary heart disease, European Journal of Applied Physiology. Publication to come.
The French-speaking Symposium of Medicine, which took place on October 28, 29 and 30 in Montreal, is organized by the Association des médecins de langue française du Canada.
2. On this subject, see our interview with Dr de Lorgeril Cholesterol and statins: Michel de Lorgeril persists and signs.
