Nerve-zapping stimulator ‘could help improve fitness,’ study finds

An ear-worn device that stimulates a major nerve has been shown to improve exercise performance in an early-stage trial involving healthy volunteers.

The device sends gentle electrical pulses to the vagus nerve – which runs from the brain to the heart and helps regulate heart function – for 30 minutes a day.

Participants who wore the device showed a 4 per cent increase in oxygen intake during exercise, along with an improved breathing rate and a higher maximum heart rate.

Researchers from University College London and Queen Mary University of London tested the technology in a controlled trial with 28 healthy volunteers.

Half the group wore the nerve stimulator daily for a week, while the other half used a dummy version. After a two-week break, the groups switched devices. All participants completed exercise tests before and after each period.

Gareth Ackland, professor of perioperative medicine at Queen Mary University of London School of Medicine, said: “Maintaining physical activity is essential for every aspect of cardiovascular, emotional, and cognitive health.

“The outcome of the trial is consistent with the significant body of evidence pointing to an important role of the brain in optimising exercise performance and regulating the activity of the immune system, helped by the vagus nerve.”

Blood samples taken from five participants suggested the device may also help reduce inflammation – an immune response which, when persistent, can contribute to health problems.

Larger trials are needed, but the researchers hope the approach could eventually help people who find exercise difficult due to health conditions.

Ackland added: “We will need to carry out larger trials to confirm our findings, but the results of this study in healthy volunteers suggest that increasing vagus nerve activity can improve fitness and reduce inflammation, potentially offering new approaches to improve heart health.”

The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation.

Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: “This early study suggests that a simple technology, which harnesses the connection between the heart and the brain, can lead to improvements in fitness and exercise tolerance.

“While more research is needed involving people with cardiovascular disease, this could one day be used as a tool to improve wellbeing and quality of life for people with heart failure.”