By David 
Regular exercise has been related to many health advantages, such as preserving cognitive function and maybe lowering the risk of dementia. According to research findings released online by Aging and Disease on July 8, 2024, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may be superior to other, less strenuous exercises for maintaining brain function. Short bursts of high-intensity exercise are alternated with shorter “recovery” intervals of lower-intensity movement in high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
In the study, 151 healthy adults between the ages of 65 and 86 were engaged in a six-month fitness regimen. A series of tests were administered to the participants in order to evaluate hippocampal function, the region of the brain linked to memory and learning. Three half-hour training regimens were given to everyone at random: four HIIT cycles on a treadmill, brisk walking on a treadmill, or balance and stretching. (Each HIIT cycle lasted four minutes at a heart rate between 85% and 95% of maximal heart rate, with a three-minute recovery period in between.)
For roughly six months, each participant engaged in three days a week of roughly thirty-minute workouts, for a total of seventy-two sessions. Only the HIIT exercisers demonstrated improved hippocampal functioning on repeat testing when compared to their initial assessment. Five years later, during a follow-up assessment, the researchers discovered that, once more, only the participants in the HIIT group maintained their enhanced cognitive performance, even in the event that they stopped exercising HIIT.