Dr. Rhonda Patrick, co-founder of FoundMyFitness, delves into exercise science complexities in a recent YouTube video. Dr. Rhonda Patrick explores the heart benefits and advantages of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), the role of lactate in workouts, glucose control, mitochondrial health in athletes, and anti-aging processes.
With graduate research at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital focusing on mitochondrial metabolism, Dr. Patrick uniquely addresses nuanced topics. Moreover, boasting over 492,000 YouTube subscribers, she has become a prominent voice in both biology and online spheres.
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Rhonda Patrick, featured on Joe Rogan and Dr. Peter Attia’s interviews, illuminates her journey to optimal health. Delving into exercise’s impact on heart health, she explores glucose control, lactate, intense workouts, and mitochondrial vitality for anti-aging.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick Explores the Anti-Aging Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
In her recent insights, Dr. Rhonda Patrick sheds light on the transformative impact of vigorous exercise, specifically highlighting the benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in mitigating the aging process. Furthermore, drawing from a study involving 50-year-olds, she unravels the profound effects of HIIT on preserving youthfulness and overall well-being.
“As we age, the heart undergoes specific inevitable changes, right, related to the aging process. So it tends to get smaller, it gets stiffer, and this can impact the heart’s efficiency, potentially reducing our exercise capacity, elevating our risk for cardiac issues but there can be exercise interventions like consistent aerobic exercise with a high proportion of it being vigorous intensity that can actually combat some of these effects.”
“A landmark study it was published by Ben Lavine’s Group, an intervention study and it showed that two years of vigorous exercise in 50-year-olds was able to reverse the aging of their hearts by as much as 20 years. Effectively making their hearts look more like a 30-year-old, which in my opinion is simply astonishing,” explains Dr. Rhonda Patrick.
Also, In the study – participants performed 5-6 hours per week of ‘maximal steady-state intensity exercise’ to slow aging.
“The exercise protocol used in this particular study, it was a protocol that gradually increased the exercise intensity and also frequency. Again, I mentioned it was a two-year intervention, by the end of the first six months, participants were exercising about 5-6 hours a week with a large portion of training being in that maximal steady state intensity exercise, which I referred to earlier in the podcast. It’s often called zone three.”
Patrick suggests that both HIIT workouts and vigorous exercise provide lasting benefits for glucose control and insulin sensitivity.
“Vigorous exercise really shines, particularly high-intensity interval training, it improves glucose control, insulin sensitivity more efficiently, and more potently than even continuous moderate-intensity workouts.”
Then, Patrick delved into the role of lactate and its connection to both anaerobic and aerobic activities.
“There’s a demand for rapid energy production so the body relies both on aerobic, so oxygen-using, and anaerobic non-oxygen-using metabolic pathways to generate this energy.
The Anaerobic pathway can lead to the production of lactate, especially when the intensity of exercise surpasses the point at which the oxygen intake can keep up with the energy demand.”
Lactate is released when exercise exceeds the point where oxygen intake matches energy demand, no longer considered a ‘waste product’ of muscle fatigue, as per Patrick’s insights.
“This is sometimes often referred to the lactate threshold as we talked about. For a long time, lactate was considered primarily as a waste product contributing to muscle fatigue.”
Emphasizing the lactate shuttle, Dr. Patrick highlighted that lactate is transported back into muscles, accumulating at higher levels in mitochondria.
“This of course has been completely reversed. Recent research has totally changed this understanding. Lactate generated in muscle tissue is transported not only back in the muscle but into mitochondria to be used as an energy source but it also it starts to accumulate at higher levels it travels systemically into circulation and gets transported to other tissues like the heart, liver, and the brain, where it’s used for energy.”
“This is known as the lactate shuttle, pioneered by Dr. George Brooks.”
Dr. Patrick Unveils Benefits of High-Intensity Exercise on Glycemic Control and ‘Mitochondrial Biogenesis’
Lactate, previously considered a waste product, now serves as a signaling molecule during exercise, enhancing glucose uptake.
“Vigorous intensity exercise, high-intensity interval training, when that lactate production accumulates, it stimulates the expression and activity of glucose transporters on the muscle known as GLUT4 and this is on the muscle cell membrane. That lactate acts as a signaling molecule to increase the transport of glucose transporters on the muscle cells.”
“This then allows for more efficient uptake of glucose into from the bloodstream into the muscle even at rest.”
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In her analysis, Dr. Patrick explored how high-intensity interval training and vigorous exercise contribute to mitochondrial genesis, producing new and healthy mitochondria.
“Talking about mitochondria, mitochondria are very important and they play a lot of roles in the body but one of the most important ones is the production of energy in the form of ATP. This is obviously very important for muscles but also hugely important for the brain, the heart, the liver, pretty much every organ.”
“Athletes are very interested in mitochondrial health because they want their muscles to efficiently and effectively produce energy when they are training but mitochondria are also very important to the context of aging. As we age, our mitochondria become less efficient at producing energy and this poses a problem for physical activity but also just for normal functioning of our organs.”
“That problem of mitochondria not producing enough energy can actually be overcome by increasing the mitochondrial volume or what’s called the mitochondrial biogenesis. An exercise, particularly vigorous exercise is one of the best ways to do that.”
Mitochondrial biogenesis, showcasing the body’s capability to generate new mitochondria, stands as a key indicator of mitochondrial health.
“One of the most powerful indicators of healthy mitochondria is the ability to generate new healthy young mitochondria called mitochondrial biogenesis.
Vigorous intensity exercise like high-intensity-interval training I mentioned it’s one of the most powerful stimulators of mitochondrial biogenesis. This has to do with the metabolic stress that is induced from vigorous intensity exercise.”
Vigorous exercise or HIIT leads to the transportation of lactate to the mitochondria, stimulating biogenesis and its conversion into energy.
“When we perform vigorous intensity exercise such as HIIT, that lactate generated from the muscles it’s shuttled into the mitochondria because exercise increases the number of mitochondria per cell, again mitochondrial biogenesis and the more lactate that’s then able to be used as energy.”
Dorian Yates endorses HIIT for optimal results, emphasizing intensity over set reps or sets. Additionally, Dr. Rhonda Patrick’s expertise in glucose, mitochondria, and lactate benefits fitness communities. Her insights make her a go-to source for the fitness and bodybuilding community.
Given the complexity of these topics, Dr. Rhonda Patrick serves as a great source of knowledge for the fitness and bodybuilding community. Her insights into glucose control, mitochondrial health, and lactate present a compelling case for the benefits of HIIT workouts or vigorous exercise.
View the full video from the FoundMyFitness Clips YouTube channel:
Overview
Dr. Rhonda Patrick delves into HIIT advantages, lactate’s role, and glucose control in a recent YouTube video. Furthermore, with a background in mitochondrial metabolism, she explores anti-aging effects, emphasizing HIIT’s impact on heart health and aging reversal. Moreover, Patrick also highlights lactate’s significance as a signaling molecule, contributing to glucose uptake and mitochondrial biogenesis. Her insights offer valuable knowledge for the fitness and bodybuilding community, establishing her as a prominent figure in the field.
Featured Image @foundmyfitness(Instagram), @foundmyfitness clips (Youtube)