A new 5-minute workout improves blood pressure and can stimulate brain function

Could you work five minutes a day without lifting a single weight or jogging one step, reduce your risk of heart attack, help you think more clearly and improve your sports performance?

Preliminary results from an inspirational muscle strength training (IMST) clinical trial, presented this week at the Orlando Experimental Biology Conference, suggest "yes".

"IMST is essentially a strength training for the muscles you are breathing with," said Daniel Craighead, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who is leading the study. "It's something you can do quickly at home or in the office, without having to change clothes, and so far, it seems very beneficial to reduce blood pressure and possibly improve cognitive and physical performance. "

Developed in the 1980s in order to wean the critically ill fans, the IMST involves vigorous breathing with the aid of a hand-held device, a trainer of inspiratory muscles, which provides resistance. Imagine sucking hard through a straw that sucks back.

At the beginning of their use in patients with lung diseases, patients administered a low-resistance 30-minute regimen daily to boost their lung capacity.

But in 2016, researchers at the University of Arizona released the results of a clinical trial to determine if 30 inhalations a day with increased resistance could help sufferers to get better. obstructive sleep apnea, which tend to have weak respiratory muscles.

In addition to more restorative sleep, subjects experienced an unexpected side effect after six weeks: their systolic blood pressure dropped by 12 millimeters of mercury. It's about two times less than aerobic exercise can report and more than many medications.

"It was at that point that we became interested," said Professor Doug Seals, Senior Researcher, Director of CU Boulder's Laboratory of Integrative Physiology of Aging.

Systolic blood pressure, which is the pressure on your blood vessels when your heart beats, slowly increases as your arteries stiffen with age, causing blood-strained tissue damage and increased risk of heart attack. , cognitive decline and kidney damage.

Although it is clearly established that 30 minutes per day of aerobic exercise lowers blood pressure, only about 5% of adults reach this minimum. Meanwhile, 65% of middle-aged adults have high systolic blood pressure.

"Our goal is to develop effective, evidence-based, evidence-based interventions that these busy adults will actually do," said Seals, who recently received a $ 450,000 grant from the National Institute of Medicine. Aging to fund the clinical trial of IMST involving about 50 people. topics.

Craighead presented preliminary results on Sunday and Monday at Experimental Biology 2019, showing that:

With approximately half of the tests performed, the researchers found significant decreases in blood pressure and improved large artery function in those who performed IMST, with no change in those who used a low-resistance simulated respirator.

The IMST group also performs better on some cognitive and memory tests.

When asked to exercise until exhaustion, they could also stay longer on the treadmill and keep their heart rate and oxygen consumption lower. during the exercise.

Some cyclists and runners have already started using commercially available inspiratory muscle trainers to gain competitive advantage.

But Seals and Craighead emphasize that their findings are preliminary and that curious people should ask their doctor before considering IMST.

That said, with a high compliance rate (less than 10% of study participants drop out) and no side effects, they are optimistic.

"High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in America," said Craighead. "Having another option in the toolbox to help prevent this would be a real win."

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