The more you exercise, the larger the volume of important parts of the brain such as gray matter, white matter, and hippocampus.
Entered 2024.01.02 07:20 Views 0 Entered 2024.01.02 07:20 Modified 2024.01.01 20:41 Views 0
[사진=게티이미지뱅크]Staying active has a variety of health benefits for your aging body and brain. Exercise covers a variety of areas, from growing new brain cells to counteract brain cell loss with age and improving oxygen flow to the brain, to reducing inflammation and preventing cell damage caused by free radicals.
According to a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, even if it is not vigorous exercise, just quick exercise that increases the heart rate about three times a week can make the brain bigger.
Researchers in the United States and Canada examined brain scans of 10,125 healthy adults with an average age of 53. Researchers asked all participants how often they exercised over a two-week period and divided them into two groups: those who exercised and those who did not.
The exercise group exercised on average two to three days a week, while the non-exercise group exercised less frequently or did not exercise at all. “The standard of 2 to 3 days, which is much lower than the federal government recommendation of 150 minutes per day, was intentionally chosen to define a level of physical activity that is achievable for more people,” the researchers explained.
Approximately three-quarters of the participants engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as cycling, swimming, and walking, four times a week for an average of 10 minutes or more per day.
The study found that the more people exercised, the larger their brain volume appeared in MRI scans. Physically active people had greater amounts of gray matter and white matter, important tissues in the brain. Gray matter, which makes up about 40% of the brain, plays an important role in the brain’s sensory and language processing. White matter is found in the deeper tissues of the brain, facilitating communication between nerve cells and providing pathways for signals to be transmitted between different areas of the brain.
Additionally, the hippocampus, the brain region most closely related to converting short-term memories into long-term memories, was larger. In Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, the hippocampus is one of the first areas of the brain to be damaged. Hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, such as beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles, accumulate in the hippocampus.
Reporter Park Joo-hyeon
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2024-01-01 22:21:32
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