30 Minutes of Daily Interval Training Offsets a Horrible Diet

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Baron, Dec 6, 2017.

  1. Baron

    Baron ET Founder

    Daily half hour of interval training cancels out the negative health effects of the worst imaginable diet

    In 2004 filmmaker Morgan Spurlock showed in his documentary Supersize Me what happens to your body if you eat nothing but McDonald's products for a whole month. He gained 13 kg and his cardiovascular health, his liver function and insulin balance deteriorated. All of these disastrous effects would probably not have happened if Spurlock had trained intensively every day that the experiment lasted.

    Study

    Canadian sports scientists at the University of Quebec in Montreal got 15 healthy men aged 18-30 to eat nothing but junk food for two weeks.

    The participants "had to consume an extra value meal of their choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All meals for lunch and dinner consisted of a sandwich (e.g., Big Mac, McChicken, or Quarter Pounder with Cheese), medium fries and a non-diet medium soft drink. As for breakfast, it consisted of a sandwich (e.g., Egg McMuffin, or Sausage McMuffin), hash browns and a small fruit drink or coffee. In addition, participants had the option to consume a muffin of their choice as a snack depending on their appetite."

    The table below gives you an idea of the quality of their diet.


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    In addition, the men did a half-hour interval training session on a treadmill every day. This consisted of 15 sprints lasting 1 minute each, where the men ran at 90 percent of their VO2max. Between the sprints the men walked for a minute to recover.

    The researchers examined the participants before the 14-week experiment started and at the end.

    Results
    Thanks to the interval training the junk food diet had no negative effects on the health of the participants. Nearly all the variables that were measured remained the same.

    Most noticeable was the decrease in the HDL level, although the amount of the decrease was not alarming, and this was offset by a decrease in the fasting glucose level.


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    Conclusion
    "In summary, high intensity interval training seems to protect, in large part, the cardiometabolic profile against the potential negative effects of a fast food diet in young healthy men," the Canadians wrote. "Therefore, these findings contradict the popular belief of the general population."

    "Indeed, our results may be useful for clinical and practical purposes. It is important to educate health care professionals and athletes/coaches regarding the potential protective effects of high intensity interval training against a fast food diet."

    "Nevertheless, these findings should be considered preliminary, but they may stimulate interest for additional research on the impact of a fast food diet in combination with high intensity interval training on metabolic diseases in different populations."

    Sponsor
    The study was funded by the University of Montreal.
     
    learner2007 and Slartibartfast like this.
  2. I workout like five times a day...each about only four minutes. -- and I feel Great and loose and limber and energetic.

    It's rather amazing how much you can do in only four minutes...I do stretching/yoga, abs, cardio and exercises using 30lb dumbells.

    My waist/pants is only a 30 now, it use to hover around 36/34/38.
     
  3. I'm guessing that these men were not terribly overweight to begin with and likely young to middle aged. Ain't gonna' happen if you're old and fat to begin with. No way to out train a bad diet if you're already shot to hell.
     
    Visaria likes this.
  4. Visaria

    Visaria

    Kinda says to me if you are young (18-30) and healthy (e.g. not overweight), and now eat a load of crap for a month and also work out then you will become a bit less healthy than you were.
     
  5. algofy

    algofy

    That's what she said.
     
    userque likes this.