THE days of slaving away in the gym for hours to get healthy could soon be numbered.
THE days of slaving away in the gym for hours to get healthy could soon be numbered.
Scottish scientists have discovered that short bursts of intense exercise - such as running up and down the stairs - every few days could dramatically cut the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
The researchers said people should focus their attention on quick "sprints" on an exercise bike, with each workout lasting only a few minutes.
A new study, published today by a team from Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University, shows that just four 30-second bouts of intense exercise in four minutes, twice a week, can significantly cut the chances of contracting diabetes or cardiovascular diseases.
The best way to accomplish this is on an exercise bike - although four flights of stairs can also work.
Professor Jamie Timmons, professor of exercise biology at Heriot-Watt, said: "What you need to do is to cycle as hard and as fast as you possibly can for 30 seconds, then rest. Then do it again, followed, once again, by a short rest. Complete this routine four times in about four minutes, twice a week, and there is a clear benefit enjoyed afterwards. This is a benefit which we now think might last for anything up to 10 days."
Diabetes is caused by insufficient production of the hormone insulin by the pancreas. Insulin is responsible for the absorption of glucose. Without it, glucose builds up in the bloodstream and can lead to heart disease and strokes.
Prof Timmons, who ran for Scotland at under-18 level, said: "Our study considered the metabolism of 25 inactive young men over a two-week period. Each took part in short, intensive bursts of exercise.
The bodies of the participants were dramatically better at processing a glucose drink after training.
"It appears the insulin they produced worked much more efficiently with the excess glucose removed from the blood stream much more rapidly. The average increase in insulin function was 23% but in two cases it was up to a 35% increase, which is dramatic."
He said this type of exercise was the most efficient in achieving this as, unlike walking or jogging, it breaks down all the glucose in your muscles. That allows insulin to transport glucose back into the muscle after a meal, where it can be safely stored.
"So we believe that these four bursts of intense activity twice a week is more effective in preventing diabetes than half an hour jogging six times a week. Even sprinting or lifting weights is not so good as they often lead to muscle damage which impairs the insulin function.
"I would like to see exercise bikes or steppers made available at the workplace. It wouldn't be that expensive but would make a big difference to the workforce. The Scottish Government should consider this for public-sector employees.
"That would be a massive start and it would be money well spent as the UK is spending somewhere between £5bn-£9bn a year as a direct and indirect result of diabetes."
Prof Timmons said he had been working in Sweden, where the health policy was more forward thinking and already gave people time each day for exercise. He added: "What is often not appreciated is that cardiovascular disease processes begin early in life, and diabetes is one of the biggest risk factors.
"Our study shows that by doing the right type of training, intensive for very short periods, it is plausible for young, and most probably middle-aged, adults to reduce their future risk of developing diabetes without spending five to six hours each week involved in exercise programmes."
The next step would be to see how such a programme might affect those who already have diabetes. A spokesman for the Scottish Government said all serious research into preventing disease was studied with interest.
Meanwhile, a survey published yesterday showed that sports stars left concussed at least once in their careers can expect to decline mentally more than 30 years later.
Athletes who had been knocked out saw a decline in their attention spans and a slowing of some of their movements compared with athletes who had no concussion.
New evidence, published in neurology journal Brain, could raise fears over the safety of physical contact sports such as boxing.
Louis De Beaumont, who led the Canadian-based study, said: "This shows the effects of sports concussions in early adulthood persist beyond 30 years post- concussion and can cause cognitive and motor function alterations as the athletes age.
"Athletes should be better informed about the cumulative and persistent effects of sports concussion on mental and physical processes."
