Those who – prey to feelings of guilt after New Year’s Eve dinner – already on January 2nd wore sports clothes and started running, cycling, doing weights in the gym, can count on another valid reason to sweat. Science offers it, with yet another study on the benefits of physical activity. If the promise to atone for the end-of-year revelry and to get rid of the extra pounds accumulated between Christmas and New Year’s Eve and the adrenaline that the daily dose of healthy sport gives were not enough, according to an international team of researchers, exercise physical exercise can also improve brain health. The authors of the study, published in recent days onJournal of Alzheimer’s Diseaseadd further evidence that reinforces the “fascinating link” between regular movement and benefits for the mind.
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Physical activity and brain areas
The research, in detail, shows that physical activity is correlated with the increase in the size of brain areas important for memory and learning. The scientists examined the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scans of 10,125 people, tests carried out at a network of imaging centers present in different areas of the world, particularly North America.
What emerged from the analysis was that those who regularly practiced physical activities such as walking, running or playing sports had larger brain volumes in key areas, including gray matter, which helps in processing information, and white matter, which connects different regions of the brain, as well as the hippocampus, which is important for memory.
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“Our research – explains the main researcher, the neuroradiologist Cyrus A. Raji – supports previous studies showing that being physically active is good for the brain. Exercise not only reduces the risk of dementia, but also helps maintain brain size, which is critical as we age.”
4 thousand steps per day are sufficient
And there’s more: “We discovered – he adds David Merrillco-author of the study and director of the Brain Health Center of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute – that even moderate levels of physical activity, such as taking less than 4 thousand steps a day, can have a positive effect on brain health“. So “less than 10 thousand steps often suggested, which makes it a more achievable goal for many people.”
The research, analyzes the co-author Somayeh Meysami, Saint John’s Cancer Institute e Pacific Brain Health Center“links regular physical activity to larger brain volumes, suggesting neuroprotective benefits. This large study sample allows us to further our understanding of lifestyle factors in brain health and dementia prevention.”
A 2020 Lancet study found that about a dozen modifiable risk factors increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, including physical activity. The study published now is based on research by the same authors who linked calorie consumption resulting from leisure activities to improvements in brain structure.
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Benefits against Alzheimer’s
“This work demonstrates the influence of exercise on brain imaging and, when added to other studies on the role of diet, stress reduction and social connection shows the proven benefits of drug-free modifiable factors in substantially reducing disease Alzheimer’s,” he said George PerryEditor-in-Chief del Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
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“With comprehensive image scans, the interconnected synergy between the body and the brain is highlighted,” concludes the senior author of the study. Rajpaul Attariwala – And this echoes the knowledge of past generations, showing that greater physical activity is a predictor of a healthier aging brain.” The message is therefore one: stay active. “Whether it is a daily walk or a sport preferred, regular physical activity can have long-lasting benefits for our brain health“, the experts comment.