Why Your Brain Needs a Workout
“We know that many studies have shown statistical correlations between exercise and better cognitive functioning, but we can’t be 100% confident that exercise is the cause of this fortuitous result. That said, there is research showing pathways by which exercise might benefit the brain, and there are randomized clinical trials showing that aerobic exercise over a period of weeks may improve cognition in older adults.
2020 study comparing aerobic exercise to stretching in individuals with mild cognitive impairment showed that 12 months of aerobic training, but not stretching, resulted in a significant increase in blood flow to crucial brain regions. Another study published in the journal Nature in 2021 showed that individuals with cognitive impairment who participated in structured exercise for six months had higher plasma levels of an anti-inflammatory molecule called clusterin. So we can point to physiological pathways – e.g., increased blood flow to the brain and increased anti-inflammatory activity — by which exercise may benefit the brain and preserve cognition.
Key Points
- And as we grow older, we inevitably start to notice changes in cognitive function.
- Several lines of research, including comparative studies done as early as 1975, support the belief that exercise matters.
- New research shows that exercise may have direct beneficial effects on the brain at the anatomical, cellular, and molecular levels. ”
Read the whole article at Psychology Today
#Cognition #Brain#Exercise #Benefits
💬 What kind of exercises/workouts do you like?
