Author(s): SHAMEL, F., EMIR, Z. , Institution: GAZI UNIVERSITY, Country: TURKEY, Abstract-ID: 1352

INTRODUCTION:
Exercise has beneficial effects on cognitive function besides its well-known benefits on physical health. However, the duration and daily frequency of exercise adequate to improve cognitive function is still unclear[1]. Therefore, we planned to determine whether individuals unable to sustain 30 minutes of continuous walking could achieve similar cognitive effects by performing shorter but frequent bouts of exercise. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of varying durations and daily frequencies of walking exercise on cognitive function, vital signs, and exercise capacity.
METHODS:
In this study, 35 females (18-24 years) were randomized into two groups: 17 participants into 30-minute continuous exercise group (30min), and 18 participants into 3 times 10-minute exercise bouts group (10min). Both groups walked 5 days a week for 6 weeks on a treadmill at 60% of their maximum heart rate. Stroop Test Writing Color-Meaning Color (STWC-STWMC), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) were assessed for cognitive function, Respiratory Frequency (RF), Blood Pressure Diastolic-Systolic (BPD-BPS), Resting Heart Rate (HR-Rest), Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR), Oxygen Saturation (SaO2) and 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) for cardiorespiratory function before and after the exercise training. Results were compared both within and between groups.
RESULTS:
Both groups were similar regarding the baseline characteristics (p>0.05). Within-group analyses revealed significant differences in DTWC, DSST, STMWC, 6MWT, BPS, and BPD results (p<0.05) in both groups, while SaO2, HR-Rest, and RF were insignificant (p>0.05). The results of comparison between the groups showed that all the parameters were similar (p>0.05) except the WHR. It was lower in the 30min group than that in the 10min group (p<0.001).
CONCLUSION:
The results of this study showed that both 30 minutes continuous exercise and 10-minute bouts of exercise three times a day showed similar effects on cognitive and cardiorespiratory function after training. Only the waist-hip ratio decrease was superior after the 30-minute continuous exercise training, and it was not surprising as lipid mobilization is only possible with longer durations of physical performance. It is concluded that the individuals who are unable to complete a single 30-minute exercise bout, due to reasons such as pain, could achieve similar benefits for cognitive and cardiorespiratory function with 10-minute exercise bouts 3 times a day.
Reference:
[1] J. Young, M. Angevaren, J. Rusted, and N. Tabet, “Aerobic exercise to improve cognitive function in older people without known cognitive impairment( Review ),” Cochrane Database Syst. Rev., no. 4, p. Art. No.: CD005381., 2015, doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005381.pub4.www.cochranelibrary.com.