"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Benefits of short workouts

The research we're .

Just 12 minutes of vigorous exercise changes blood levels of drugs linked to heart health, based on recent research.

The study used data from 411 middle-aged adults from the Framingham Heart Study. Researchers measured the degrees of 588 substances involved in metabolism (metabolites) within the blood of volunteers before and immediately after 12 minutes of vigorous exercise on an exercise bike.

The investigators detected changes in greater than 80% of metabolites, including favorable changes in those related to diabetes and heart disease. For example, exercise had useful effects on metabolites related to insulin resistance (a condition that could be a precursor to diabetes), lipolysis (fat breakdown), inflammation, and vascular reactivity. These advantages appeared to vanish in obese people.

According to the authors, metabolites related to exercise can provide unique “signatures” within the bloodstream that may indicate whether an individual is physically fit, just as blood tests show how well the kidneys and liver are functioning. Sort of working, based on the authors. This study was published on November 17, 2020. circulation.

Photo: © Sanja Radin/Getty Images