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It\u2019s true that any kind of exercise<\/a> is better for you than none, but new research suggests that a series of sprints could make a serious impact on your cardiovascular health<\/a>. Surprisingly, these shorter sprint efforts might have an even greater effect than a long, moderate-intensity workout.<\/p>\n The findings get pretty technical, but cardiologists say they reinforce the idea that challenging your body through exercise can do a lot for your overall health. \u201cThese changes can help the body and heart to be more efficient,\u201d says Cheng-Han Chen, MD<\/a>, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California.<\/p>\n The results don\u2019t suggest that you should entirely swap your more moderate workouts for sprints, but they do imply that you can get a heart-healthy, solid workout in just a few minutes. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n Meet the experts<\/strong>: Shaline Rao, MD<\/a>, chief of the Division of Cardiology at NYU Langone Hospital\u2014Long Island; Cheng-Han Chen, MD<\/a>, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California.<\/p>\n What did the study find?<\/strong><\/p>\n The study, which was published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine<\/a>, had young, healthy participants work out on a stationary bike. One group did six sets of all-out cycling sprints for 30 seconds at a time, while another group cycled continuously for 90 minutes at a comfortable pace.<\/p>\n The researchers took blood samples before, immediately after, and three hours after the workouts. The researchers discovered that those all-out sprints changed nearly a quarter of the proteins in the participants\u2019 blood. But the moderately paced workout changed less than 0.25% of those proteins.<\/p>\n Sprinting sparked changes in more than 200 metabolites, leading to a surge in proteins that are involved in blood-vessel growth, tissue remodeling, and hormonal signaling. Those changes even impacted fat cells, causing changes in gene activity and shifting how the cells processed fuel and sensed the availability of nutrients. (The same effect wasn\u2019t seen after moderate exercise.)<\/p>\n Researchers then compared the proteins that responded to the sprinting workouts with health data from more than 53,000 people from the UK Biobank. From this, they determined that those changed proteins were associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease. More than 25 percent of the proteins were also linked with slower biological aging.<\/p>\n Why is sprinting good for heart health?<\/strong><\/p>\n Experts have a few theories about why sprints might be better for your health. One is that sprints cause cellular stress, says Shaline Rao, MD<\/a>, chief of the Division of Cardiology at NYU Langone Hospital\u2014Long Island. \u201cMaximum effort forces muscle cells and tissue to adapt instantly to heavy metabolic demand,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
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