高强度间歇训练(HIIT)在美国运动医学学院最受欢迎的锻炼项目中名列榜首。According to a small study published inArthritis Research & Therapy,it might be just the ticket forrheumatoid arthritis (RA), too.
HIIT is an aerobic, heart-pumping form of exercise where short bursts of maximum effort, usually lasting from 20 to 60 seconds, alternate with less intense recovery periods. Studies suggest that HIIT is as effective at burning calories and improving heart and lung health as steady-state exercises like running or biking. One 2018 meta-analysis found that HIIT was significantly better than moderately intense steady exercise for patients with heart disease.
Only a few small studies have looked atHIIT for people who have RA. On the whole, they showed that participants lost weight, gained muscle and improved their joint health without any increase in inflammation or pain. But researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, wanted to learn more, including whether HIIT could improve disease activity and immune function.
他们招募了12名久坐不动的类风湿性关节炎患者，其中大多数年龄在60多岁，参加了为期10周的高强度间歇行走项目。参与者每周锻炼三次，每次30分钟。每组包括5分钟的热身，20分钟的HIIT和5分钟的冷却。
During the training portion, participants exercised for 60 to 90 seconds at 80 to 90 percent of their maximum effort. High-intensity intervals were followed by active recovery at 50 to 60 percent of their maximum effort. Each participant’s intensity goal was individually determined with a cardiorespiratory fitness test that measures how much oxygen is used during intense exercise.
Because this was awalking-based program, participants never went faster than 4.6 miles per hour. If speed didn’t raise their heart rate enough, researchers increased the incline on the treadmill. Everyone completed all sessions of the program and reported feeling healthier afterward.
HIIT, Health and Immunity
Like other research, the Duke study found that HIIT was as good or better than steady-state exercise for heart and lung health, which improved 9 percent over 10 weeks. Blood pressure, resting heart rate and depression all decreased. And all measures of disease activity, including tender swollen joints, declined by 38 percent.
Other significant changes involved the immune system, especially white blood cells called neutrophils and monocytes. Normally, these are leading actors in the body’s immune response. Neutrophils, for instance, patrol the bloodstream, looking for invading pathogens (disease-producing germs) and are the first responders to infection. But in RA, they overrun inflamed joints, causing even more inflammation, damaging tissue and leaving the body less protected against viruses and bacteria. Monocytes, normally the immune system’s mop-up crew, behave abnormally in RA, too, setting off more inflammation. This immune dysfunction makes people with RA more susceptible to infections – a problem made worse by the use of arthritis drugs that suppress the immune system.
在健康人群中，锻炼已被证明可以改善中性粒细胞和单核细胞的功能以及整体免疫健康。杜克大学研究中的人也是如此。HIIT 10周后，中性粒细胞更善于瞄准感染和杀死病原体;单核细胞恢复到更正常的抗炎状态。
The researchers say theirs is the first study to show that a HIIT walking program can improve both disease activity and immune function. It’s also more evidence supporting the well-documented fact that vigorous exercise is exceedingly good for people with arthritis.
But Stephen Messier, PhD, a professor and head of the biomechanics lab at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, points out that the study has limitations, including “a [very] small sample size, no control group and short duration of the intervention period.” Dr. Messier, who was not involved in this study, has spent decades studying the effect of exercise and weight loss onosteoarthritis (OA).
作者指出了其他问题。研究参与者比许多风湿性关节炎患者更年轻，疾病也更轻。目前尚不清楚HIIT对那些病情较重或年龄较大的人是否同样有效。The study also doesn’t take into account people who lack access to a supervised, structured exercise program (such as this one) and a gym.
Still, Dr. Messier says, “The results of this pilot study are encouraging. Most importantly, there were improvements in clinical outcomes that matter to the patient.”
Author: Linda Rath
Related Resources:
- Best Exercises for RA
- High-Intensity Exercise & Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Go Hybrid for Your Arthritis Workout
- 蹦床锻炼对关节炎安全吗?