April 30, 2024

Just 5 Minutes of Daily Breath Training Improves Exercise Tolerance in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Kaitlin A. Freeberg, MS. Credit: Kaitlin A. Freeberg, MS.

IMST includes inhaling through a handheld gadget called a manual breathing trainer that adds resistance to the breath. The research team split 35 grownups age 50 and older into a low-resistance control or a high-resistance group group. Both groups utilized a manual breathing trainer for 30 breaths a day (about five minutes) for 6 weeks; both groups were able to comply with the program.
After 6 weeks, the high-resistance group showed a 12% improvement in a treadmill time to exhaustion test, while the low-resistance control group showed no change. The improvement in the high-resistance group likewise showed a relationship with changes in 18 metabolites evaluated in the research study, primarily ones that “play essential roles in energy production and fatty acid metabolism.”.
” These initial findings suggest 5 min/day of high-resistance IMST is a promising, highly adherable mode of physical training that increases workout tolerance and modulates metabolic paths in [middle-aged and older] grownups,” Freeberg wrote.
Fulfilling: Experimental Biology 2022.

Despite the myriad recognized advantages of exercise, many middle-aged and older adults battle to satisfy physical activity recommendations. New research study finds potential for high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) to assist this population shift to a healthier lifestyle. The research study will exist this week at the American Physiological Society yearly conference at Experimental Biology 2022.
Although exercise reduces the danger of establishing chronic disease with aging, a 2016 study found 28% of U.S. grownups age 50 and older were physically inactive. “Developing novel types of physical training that increase adherence and improve physical function are key to lowering the threat of persistent diseases with aging. High-resistance IMST might be one such technique to promote adherence and enhance multiple components of health in midlife and older grownups,” lead researcher Kaitlin Freeberg, MS, explains.

The research team split 35 grownups age 50 and older into a low-resistance control or a high-resistance group group. Both groups utilized a manual breathing trainer for 30 breaths a day (about five minutes) for six weeks; both groups were able to adhere to the program.

Daniel Craighead, PhD Credit: Daniel Craighead, PhD.

By Speculative Biology
April 3, 2022

High-resistance IMST might be one such technique to promote adherence and enhance numerous elements of health in midlife and older grownups,” lead researcher Kaitlin Freeberg, MS, explains.