While the benefits of exercise on mental health have long been extolled and debated, the extent to which walking, running and sports can improve your brain’s memory and learning capacity, has been less explored. But experts have now shown in a new international study, led by scientists from the Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI®)’s Brain Health Center, that “lifestyle factors” such as exercise can be “neuroprotective” when it comes to “brain health and dementia prevention”.
Over 10,000 scans studied
The link between regular exercise and better brain health was found by a team at the Californian Brain Health Center, who analysed over 10,000 MRI brain scans at Prenuvo imaging centers. Prenuvo were also partners in the research.
Published in the Journal of Alzeimer’s Disease, the study, entitled “Exercise-Related Physical Activity Relates to Brain Volumes in 10,125 Individuals,” found that the size of key areas of the brain for memory and learning were different in those who exercise, compared to those who led a more sedentary lifestyle.
This study demonstrates the influence of exercise on brain health imaging and when added to other studies on the role of diet, stress reduction and social connection offer the proven benefits of drug-free modifiable factors in substantially reducing Alzheimer’s disease.
George Perry, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Lowered dementia risk
Not only the hippocampus, important for recall, but also the so-called “white matter” linking different areas of the brain, as well as the information processing “grey matter” – all were larger in volume in more active people, indicating that exercise at least helps to maintain, if not grow the brain. Going forward, the findings could inform recommendations for maintaining brain health in an aging population.
Lead researcher Cyrus A. Raji, MD gave a simple overview and acknowledged previous group research published in the Lancet in 2020, which the study built upon. “Our research supports earlier studies that show being physically active is good for your brain. Exercise not only lowers the risk of dementia but also helps in maintaining brain size, which is crucial as we age.”
“Achievable” and drug-free
It’s not necessary to overdo it on the exercise front to have a healthy impact, according to David Merrill, MD, PhD, and study co-author and director of the Pacific Brain Health Center. Noting that “even moderate levels of physical activity, such as taking fewer than 4,000 steps a day, can have a positive effect on brain health”, Merrill emphasised how accessible better brain health could be. “This is much less than the often-suggested 10,000 steps,” he said, which made it “a more achievable goal for many people.”
As well as being achievable, taken alongside other work that has looked at the role of diet, loweing stress and increasing social connection, the study demonstrates “the proven benefits of drug-free modifiable factors in substantially reducing Alzheimer’s disease,” said George Perry, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. For people with co-morbidities or vulnerabilities, being able to improve their own health outcomes while avoiding another cocktail of tablets, is a huge advantage.
