Exercise can help boost your brain power
A better brain could be yours after just six months of doing this.
There continues to be a lot of research into the effects of exercise – at various levels of intensity and frequency.
The overwhelming message from the findings is that exercise is an easy-to-achieve path to better health, longer health, and happier health as we age.
New University of Queensland research adds to the bank of evidence, with researchers finding that high-intensity interval exercise improves brain function in older adults for up to five years.
The research involved volunteers doing physical exercise followed by brain scans.
Emeritus Professor Perry Bartlett from the university’s Queensland Brain Institute led the study, which he said was the first controlled study of its kind to show exercise can boost cognition in healthy older adults not just delay cognitive decline.
“Six months of high-intensity interval training is enough to flick the switch,” he said.
Exercise is important in activating stem cells and increasing the production of neurons in the hippocampus, improving cognition.
A large cohort of healthy 65–85-year-old volunteers joined a six-month exercise program, did biomarker and cognition testing, and had high-resolution brain scans.
They were then followed up five years after the program. The amazing result was that they still had improved cognition, even if they had not kept up with the exercises.
During the study, the researchers assessed the impact of three exercise intensities:
- Low – predominantly motor function, balance, and stretching.
- Medium – brisk walking on a treadmill.
- High – four cycles running on a treadmill at near maximum exertion.
It was only the high-intensity interval exercise that led to cognitive improvement that was retained for up to five years.
"On high-resolution MRI scans of that group, we saw structural and connectivity changes in the hippocampus, the area responsible for learning and memory,” the institute’s Dr Daniel Blackmore said.
“We also found blood biomarkers that changed in correlation to improvements in cognition.
“Biomarkers can be useful in predicting the effectiveness of the exercise a person is doing.”
Ageing is one of the biggest risks for dementia, a condition that affects almost half a million Australians.
The scientists hope the trajectory of ageing can be changed and people are cognitively healthier for longer with a simple intervention-like exercise.
“We can potentially save our community from the enormous personal, economic, and social costs associated with dementia,” Professor Bartlett said.
With one in three people aged 85 likely to develop dementia, the impact of the research could be far-reaching for aged care.
The researchers hope the finding can inform exercise guidelines for older people and that further study can assess different types of exercise that could be incorporated into aged care.
The researchers are now looking at the genetic factors that may regulate a person’s response to exercise to establish who will and who will not respond to the intervention.
Any exercise is better than none, and high intensity exercise seems to give an additional advantage.
In a Norwegian study, which also found the benefits of exercise, an exercise session involved a 10-minute warm-up, followed by four lots of four-minute intervals where participants’ heart rates reached about 90% of their peak rate.
So, you don't have to run to be at high intensity. You can climb stairs or walk briskly uphill and you will be at 90% of peak heart rate, which is good news for older adults especially if you have arthritis.
- Brisk walking or jogging
- Yard work (mowing, raking)
- Dancing
- Swimming
- Biking
- Climbing stairs or hills
- Playing tennis or basketball
There are simple things do start you on your exercise journey. Increase your endurance or “staying power” to help keep up with your grandchildren during a trip to the park, dance to your favourite songs at a family wedding, and rake the yard and bag up leaves.
It’s recommended you build up to at least 150 minutes of activity a week that makes you breathe hard. Try to be active throughout your day to reach this goal and avoid sitting for long periods of time.
- Do a little light activity, such as easy walking, before and after your endurance activities to warm up and cool down.
Listen to your body: endurance activities should not cause dizziness, chest pain or pressure, or a feeling like heartburn.
Be sure to drink liquids when doing any activity that makes you sweat. If your doctor has told you to limit your fluids, be sure to check before increasing the amount of fluid you drink while exercising.
If you are going to be exercising outdoors, be aware of your surroundings.
Dress in layers so you can add or remove clothes as needed for hot and cold weather.
- To prevent injuries, use safety equipment, such as a helmet when bicycling.
Monday 22 July is World Brain Day, which is aimed at promoting awareness and education for neurological disorders that affect people worldwide. Details are here.
