Exercise is just as good for the brain<\/a> as it is for the body, a growing body of research is showing. And one kind in particular\u2014aerobic exercise\u2014appears to be king. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBack in the day, the majority of exercise studies focused on the parts of the body from the neck down, like the heart and lungs,\u201d says Ozioma Okonkwo, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. \u201cBut now we are finding that we need to go north, to the brain, to show the true benefits of a physically active lifestyle on an individual.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercise might be a simple way for people to cut down their risk for memory loss and Alzheimer\u2019s disease, even for those who are genetically at risk for the disease. In a June study <\/a>published in the Journal of Alzheimer\u2019s Disease<\/em><\/a>, Okonkwo followed 93 adults who had at least one parent with Alzheimer\u2019s disease, at least one gene linked to Alzheimer\u2019s, or both. People in the study who spent at least 68 minutes a day doing moderate physical activity had better glucose metabolism\u2014which signals a healthy brain\u2014compared to people who did less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brain benefits of exercise go beyond disease prevention. Okonkwo has also shown that people who exercise have greater brain volume<\/a> in areas of the brain associated with reasoning and executive function. \u201cWe\u2019ve done a series of studies<\/a> showing that increased aerobic capacity boosts brain structure, function and cognition,\u201d he says, \u201cOther people have found exercise can improve mood<\/a>.\u201d Okonkwo\u2019s research has also shown that exercise can diminish the impact of brain changes on cognition<\/a>, not just prevent it. \u201cExercise is the full package,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one study, Joe Northey, a PhD candidate at the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise in Australia, showed that when people ride a stationary bike, they experience increased blood flow to the brain, and within that blood are a range of growth factors that are responsible for cell growth and associated with improved brain function. \u201cConsidering exercise can also reduce the risks associated with common lifestyle diseases that impact the brain, such as high blood sugar and hypertension, it is further motivation to try to incorporate exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle,\u201d says Northey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aerobic exercise, like running<\/a> and swimming<\/a>, appears to be best for brain health. That\u2019s because it increases a person\u2019s heart rate, \u201cwhich means the body pumps more blood to the brain,\u201d says Okonkwo. But strength training, like weight lifting<\/a>, may also bring benefits to the brain by increasing heart rate. The link between resistance training and better brain health is not as established, but research in the area is growing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Northey recommends a combination of the two. \u201cCombining both is ideal,\u201d he says, for all of the other benefits exercise bestows on the body. \u201cIn addition to improving your brain function, you should expect to see improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, as well as reducing the risk of obesity, diabetes and hypertension amongst other diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joe Northey<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exercise is just as good for the brain as it is for the body, a growing body of research is showing. And one kind in particular\u2014aerobic exercise\u2014appears to be king.  \u201cBack in the day, the majority of exercise studies focused on the parts of the body from the neck down, like the heart and lungs,\u201d says Ozioma […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n