Walking, operating and squatting may help to keep the aging brain healthy: Leg exercises boost the production of grey matter cells, new survey suggests
Weight-bearing exercise boosts the production of vital brain cells
Walking, operating, squatting may be better for brains than cycling or swimming
Mice that workout less have 70 per cent lower nerve cell production
Research strengthens past proof connecting leg and brain power
New research been shown that weight-bearing exercising such as stroll, operating or squatting can help keep the brain healthy.
The study offers clues about how the risk of mental deterioration can be reduced as people age.
Published in the publication Frontiers in Neuroscience, the findings show that using the leg can boost the production of certain brain cells by increasing their supplying of oxygen-carrying blood.
As the leg contain the largest muscles they are of particular significance for muscular fitness.
‘It is no accident we are meant to be active- to walking, run, crouch to sit, and use our leg muscles to lift things ,’ said Dr Raffaella Adami of Milan University, who led the study.
Why less exercise can impact brain cells
Neurons, or nerve cells, are essential for the working of the brain and nervous system because they allow us to handle stress and adapt to challenge in our lives. Cutting back on exercise can stymie the body’s ability to produce new neurons.
The study involved curtailing mice from utilizing their hind legs- but not their front legs- over a period of 28 days during which they continued to eat and groom usually and were not stressed.
At the end of the experimentation the researchers investigated a zone of the brain called the sub-ventricular zone, which maintains nerve cell health. It is also the area where neural stem cells make new neurons.
They found that restriction physical activity decreased the number of neural stem cells by 70 percentage compared to a group of mice that were allowed to wander and acted as a control.
Furthermore both neurons and oligodendrocytes- specialised cells that support and insulate nerve cells- didn’t fully mature when exercising was severely reduced.
They said neurological health depends as much on signals sent from the large leg muscles to the brain as it does the other way round.
Said Dr Adami:’ Neurological health is not a one-way street with the brain telling the muscles’ lift ,” walking ,’ and so on.’
For humen, too, the key may lie in doing plenty of weight-bearing exerts. While cycling and swimming are excellent aerobic activities they benefit the legs less than walk-to, jogging or squatting because they don’t involve weight-bearing moves.
The research offers new clues as to why patients with motor neuron cancer, multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases often rapidly decline when their movement becomes limited.
Growing evidence of links between leg and brain power
Dr Adami told:’ Our analyse supports the notion that people who are unable to do load-bearing exercises- such as patients who are bed-ridden or even astronauts on extended travelling- not only lose muscle mass, but their body chemistry is altered at the cellular level and even their nervous system is adversely impacted.
‘In 2015 a study of more than 300 healthy female twins from the TwinsUK volunteer registry who were tracked by Imperial College London received leg power was a better predictor of cognitive change than any other lifestyle factor.
Generally, the twin who had more leg power at the start of the study sustained their cognition better and had fewer brain changes associated with ageing measured ten years later.
WHAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE TIPS MAINTAIN BRAIN HEALTH IN OLD AGE?
Scientists have unveiled diet and lifestyle tips that maintain brain health in old age.
According to researchers from around the world’ what’s good for the heart is good for the brain’.
They add that no single food acts as a’ silver bullet’ for improving or maintaining brain health.
The experts have put together the following diet and lifestyle advice to help people preserve their brain health as they age.
Eat plenty of 😛 TAGEND
Berries
Fresh vegetables, especially leafy greens
Healthy fats, such as extra-virgin olive oil
Nuts
Fish and seafood
Include the following in your diet 😛 TAGEND
Beans and other legumes
Fruit
Low-fat dairy
Poultry
Grains
Limit uptakes of 😛 TAGEND
Fried food
Pastries
Processed foods
Red meat
Full-fat dairy
Salt
Other tips 😛 TAGEND
Stay active
Avoid overeating
Eat at least one dinner a week with fish that is not deep fried
Watch out for salt levels in pre-made food
Use lemon, vinegar, herbs and spices to flavour food over salt
Snack on raw, plain, unsalted nuts
Eat veggies with a range of different colours
Prepare dinners from scratch
Eleven researchers from the Global Council on Brain Health, including experts from the University of Exeter, fulfilled on September 12 -to-1 3 2017 to discuss the impact of diet on the brain health of adults over 50.
Their recommendations are based on the evaluation of studies investigating the impact of nutrients on the cognitive function of older adults.
Source: Daily Mail
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