Sportology and High Intensity Interval Walking Training in Aging Society

Faced with social problems such as global warming and rapidly aging society, the solutions have been expected in “sportology”. Humans became widely distributed on the earth from their birth by acquiring abilities to walk in an upright position and to adapt themselves to various natural environments. However, seeking a 'comfortable environment' in modern civilization has deteriorated these genetic characteristics of humans, and the consumption of resources and energy to acquire such a 'comfortable environment' has induced global warming-associated natural disasters and the destruction of social order. To halt this vicious cycle, we may reactivate the genetic characteristics in humans by doing sports.To assess this, we have developed a health promotion program for middle aged and elder people, Jukunen Taiikudaiiku Program, in cooperation with the Japanese government, developed high-intensity interval walking training (IWT), and examined the physical and mental effects on 4,000 people for these 5 years. We found that IWT for 4 months increased physical fitness by 10-20%, decreased the indices of life-style related diseases by 10-20%. Since a prescription of IWT can be conducted by using an IT network system called e-Health Promotion System, the participants in the program were able to receive the prescription even if they lived remote from trainers, enabling them to perform IWT at their favored places and times, and also at low cost. Moreover, we found some single nucleotide polymorphisms closely related to inter-individual differences in the responses to IWT. Finally, we assessed a cost vs effect relationship of IWT and found that 60,000 JPY investment per year for individuals reduced their heath care cost by 120,000 JPY, 20% of total health care cost per year for the population.These results suggest that exercise prescription promote health by reactivating the genes unique for human beings, which is quite matched to the goal of “sportology”.