High Intensity Interval Training: A Potential Method for Treating Sarcopenia

Abstract

Qian-Qi Liu,1,2,* Wen-Qing Xie,1,3,* Yu-Xuan Luo,1,2 Yi-Dan Li,1,2 Wei-Hong Huang,4 Yu-Xiang Wu,5 Yu-Sheng Li1,3 1Department of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, People’s Republic of China; 2Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410083, People’s Republic of China; 3National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, People’s Republic of China; 4Mobile Health Ministry of Education - China Mobile Joint Laboratory, Xiangya Hospital Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Health and Kinesiology, School of Physical Education, Jianghan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430056, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yu-Sheng Li, Department of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, People’s Republic of China, Tel [phone], Email [email protected] Yu-Xiang Wu, Department of Health and Kinesiology, School of Physical Education, Jianghan University, No. 8, Sanjiaohu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430056, People’s Republic of China, Tel [phone], Email [email protected]: Sarcopenia, an age-related disease characterized by loss of muscle strength and muscle mass, has attracted the attention of medical experts due to its severe morbidity, low living quality, high expenditure of health care, and mortality. Traditionally, persistent aerobic exercise (PAE) is considered as a valid way to attenuate muscular atrophy. However, nowadays, high intensity interval training (HIIT) has emerged as a more effective and time-efficient method to replace traditional exercise modes. HIIT displays comprehensive effects on exercise capacity and skeletal muscle metabolism, and it provides a time-out for the recovery of cardiopulmonary and muscular functions without causing severe adverse effects. Studies demonstrated that compared with PAE, HIIT showed similar or even higher effects in improving muscle strength, enhancing physical performances and increasing muscle mass of elder people. Therefore, HIIT might become a promising way to cope with the age-related loss of muscle mass and muscle function. However, it is worth mentioning that no study of HIIT was conducted directly on sarcopenia patients, which is attributed to the suspicious of safety and validity. In this review, we will assess the effects of different training parameters on muscle and sarcopenia, summarize previous papers which compared the effects of HIIT and PAE in improving muscle quality and function, and evaluate the potential of HIIT to replace the status of PAE in treating old people with muscle atrophy and low modality; and point out drawbacks of temporary experiments. Our aim is to discuss the feasibility of HIIT to treat sarcopenia and provide a reference for clinical scientists who want to utilize HIIT as a new way to cope with sarcopenia.Keywords: Sarcopenia, high intensity interval training, persistent aerobic exercise, aging

Keywords

• sarcopenia
• high intensity interval training
• persistent aerobic exercise
• aging