In a new study, scientists seeking to better understand how physical activity protects against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s found that it’s because exercise enlarges the brain.
2 to 3 days of moderate to vigorous physical activity correlated with a significant increase in total brain matter and in specific regions like the temporal lobe and hippocampus.
To ensure that this document is fully understood, there is no doubt that physical activity protects the brain from neurodegenerative diseases, including mild and severe cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and others. forms of dementia.
The Canadian-American research team sought to better understand the mechanisms behind this effect.
Light physical activity, the number of steps taken per day and the number of blocks crossed per day are all modalities that have been used to measure the links between physical activity and the prevention of these diseases, showing that even pedestrians, non-athletes and non-athletes. the activity may be neuroprotective in some cases.
One of the main culprits, in a positive sense, for this effect is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is released into the brain during periods of exercise where it reduces neuroinflammation, improves synaptic connection, and serves other functions too numerous to list here.
The study benefited from the use of a deep learning neural network which made it possible to quickly analyze multiple MRI scans of the same brain.
10,000 participants (and their brains), averaging 54 years old but ranging in age from 18 to 97, half men and half women, made up the study cohorts.
The exercise was self-reported – an inevitable flaw when conducting large population studies like this. Participants were asked how many days per week they engaged in 10 minutes or more of moderate or vigorous intensity exercise.
While previous studies quantified moderate and vigorous intensity in terms of heartbeats per minute, this and other more modern studies simply define moderate physical activity as being engaged in physical activity and still being able to to speak, but not to sing. Vigorous was defined as being in a state where only a few words could be spoken before stopping to breathe.
10,125 brain MRI scans were examined and it was determined that a higher number of days of moderate to vigorous physical activity “predicted larger normalized brain volumes in several regions, including total gray matter volume, volume total white matter, the hippocampus, the frontal cortex, the parietal”. lobes and occipital lobe,” the authors wrote.
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This was especially true for the occipital lobe, parietal lobe, hippocampus, posterior cingulate, and temporal lobe, all of which had correlative significance (also known as the occipital lobe, parietal lobe, hippocampus, posterior cingulate, and temporal lobe temporal). p-value) of 6 or more. A score of 6 or higher is usually the point at which scientists begin to become aware of correlations, trained as they are to always take them with a pinch of salt.
Brain material and size are all indicators of better cognitive and neurological health as we age, while neurodegenerative diseases are often found in less dense brains.
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“The study included adults ages 18 to 97, showing that it’s never too early or too late to start,” wrote Chris Kresser, founder of the California Center for Functional Medicine, which did not participate in the study.
“While 75% of participants reported engaging in regular physical activity, many did not meet standard exercise guidelines but still had brain benefits. This adds to growing evidence that even modest physical activity can protect brain health.
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“In particular, moderate exercise appears more beneficial than vigorous activity, suggesting that you don’t have to be a super-athlete to reap the brain benefits,” he added.
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