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Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Physical Activity is Good for Your Brain and Helps Prevent Dementia



Aerobic exercise is known to be good for our brains. It helps improve neuronal plasticity and stimulates the creation of new neurons(neurogenesis). A decade ago this was just coming out, but it's been confirmed more since then. Exerciseis the new preventative medicineagainst cognitive impairment and dementia from old age, like a "miracle-grow" for the brain.
Physical exercise not only can benefit the metabolism of our bodies, but it also affects the energy metabolism of our brain. New research published in Translational Psychiatry involved 60 participants in a SMART study (Sport and Metabolism in Older Persons). They were all examined before and after a 12 week period of 30-minute training-sessions 3 times per week.
At the end, researchers were able to see how much of an effect physical activity had on brain metabolism, in addition to how it affected their overall physical fitness levels. As expected, physical exercise helps improve cardiac efficiency, and it also has an effect in protecting brain cells. 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity 3x/week will prevents an increase in cerebral choline levels in the brain, whereas the control group that didn't exercise had choline levels increase. Choline levels keep increasing as we get older and it has been linked to the loss of brain functions, such as those associated with dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.
I've noticed many breakthroughs this year in Alzheimer's. If you weren't aware, here is some of the research that has come out this year. Science is making progress in learning about how brain diseases work, making solutions or cures that much more possible. There are genes that have been linked to the disease, as well as sleep disorders.
And that's only for July and June 2017, plus there are some that I didn't add from this one site that related to Alzheimer's, like the recent study on pollutants in our cars while in traffic being 2x higher than the road-side testers indicated. This pollution puts oxidative stress which is thought to play a role in many diseases like Asperger's syndrome, ADHD, cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, heart failure and heart attack, sickle cell disease, autism, infection, chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.
There seems to be a lot more scientific interest in Alzheimer's and neurodegenerative brain diseases this year. I hope it keeps up and we can find a way to remove this brain-death from humanity. Don't underestimate the power of exercise for both the body and mind. Move each day until you die :)
I have to admit I'm not much of an exerciser. I rollerblade places, and do some weights now and then, and use my exercise bike a bit. But I should really get into it more.
How are you on exercise?
Do you know you need to do it more but put it off?
Are you a couch potato or exercise champion?

Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.

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