There are not a few studies that have shown the innumerable benefits that the practice of physical exercise has for our health. Now, another investigation comes to reaffirm this reality. If you don’t include physical exercise in your daily life, you’re already late. If you already do, congratulations, you may be helping your brain stay healthier.
The study, which analyzes the mechanisms involved in the relationship between physical exercise and brain cells, suggests that the role exercise plays in maintaining insulin levels and body mass index (BMI) may help protect brain volume and thus prevent dementia. The results have been published in the journal Neurology .
“These results may help us understand how physical activity affects brain health, which may guide us in developing strategies to prevent or delay age-related decline in memory and thinking skills,” said the author. of the study, Géraldine Poisnel, of the Inserm Research Center in Caen, in France. “Older adults who are physically active obtain cardiovascular benefits, which may result in greater structural integrity of the brain,” said the researcher.
However, the researchers found that the relationship between physical exercise and glucose metabolism in the brain was not affected by insulin levels or body mass index (BMI). Reduced glucose metabolism in the brain can be seen in people with dementia.
The study involved 134 people with an average age of 69 years who had no memory problems. The participants filled out surveys about the physical activity they had done in the past year. Brain scans were performed to measure volume and glucose metabolism. Information was also collected on BMI and insulin levels, as well as cholesterol, blood pressure and other factors.
What was seen was that people who had been more physically active had a greater total volume of gray matter in the brain than people who had exercised less, with an average of about 550,000 cubic millimeters (mm³) versus about 540 000mm³. When the researchers looked only at areas of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s, they found the same results.
Those who engaged in more physical activity also had a higher average rate of glucose metabolism in the brain than those who were less active.
Greater physical activity was not associated with the amount of amyloid plaque people had in their brains. Amyloid plaque is a marker for Alzheimer’s.
Poisnel said more research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind these relationships. “Maintaining a lower BMI through physical activity could help prevent impaired insulin metabolism often seen in aging, thus promoting brain health,” he said.
The study does not show that exercise protects brain volume. It only shows an association .
One limitation of the study is that people had to report their own physical activity, which may not be entirely reliable because it may not be recalled exactly.
Reference:
Felisatti, F. et al. 2022. Role of Cardiovascular Risk Factors on the Association Between Physical Activity and Brain Integrity Markers in Older Adults. Neurology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000200270
