I remember in medical school, indoctrination that brain cells just progressively died off throughout our lives, no thought of replacement! Neurogenesis or Neuroplasticity …renewal of brain cells…was incomprehensible! Our brains had a fixed innings!! This now not correct, BUT cognitive decline is leaping…probably the leading medical growth industry! The number of seniors is also climbing, causing an exponential multiple of increase. Numbers with associated memory problems thus accelerating drastically and devastatingly! 50 Million is the current global number. Exercise Fights Dementia?
Study of 900 seniors, of whom 10% engaged in medium to high intensity exercise…appears that of the two groups, 10% group of more intense exercise, compared to the light exercise, suffered relatively less cognitive decline…by as much as ten years! Imagine if only we, for our lifespan, took this seriously, and not just after becoming seniors! No question in my mind that exercise improves cognition and wards off Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Vitamins Fight Dementia
It is now clear that the hippocampus (memory center) of brain EXTREMELY adaptable, capable new cells growth throughout our lives….so long as enabled! A start…Exercise Fights Dementia!
Dramatically advances in our OVERALL lifestyle can really happen! This Web should help! Exercise should include strength training, particularly of leg muscles…running, biking, elliptical, you name it… Exercise releases hormones from our muscles, such as Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor…BDNF. This encourages new brain cell growth. We can, this way, enlarge our memory center by 1 or 2% points a year…otherwise, conversely, our hippocampus gradually shrinks! I believe it’s resulting improved blood flow! Personally deploy horizontal push ups and trunk curls on a medicine ball, right after an HIIT workout! This tackles those plaques and tangles that signal Alzheimer’s. Also resulting, is a production of nerve-protecting compounds, by the lowering of our cytokines, and the resulting survival, and even development of new neurons. This is enabled through BDNF…stimulated by a protein FNDC5, which reduces bone-morphogenetic protein BMP…which is negative by actually slowing creation of neurons. New brain stem cells are even activated! Another protein called ‘Noggin’ has similar effects. Good for our Noggin! We all designed to move…this is in our DNA…this also tricks our system into belief of ongoing survival to pass on our genes…it’s one way to deal with Exercise Fights Dementia!
