In case you haven’t yet decided what to do in your free days, here is doctors’ weekend tip: exercise to keep your brain healthy. Recent studies have all proven that staying active and following a constant physical routine will not only keep you fit, but will also allow your brain to disconnect, rest and thus, stay healthy for a longer period of time.
The benefits of physical exercises have long been known both by nutrition experts and by patients. A recent study shows patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other affections could prevent symptoms from settling in and preserve their brain’s health.
The research was conducted by scientists at the Alzheimer’s Association within the territories that have higher Alzheimer’s percentages, namely, Denmark, Canada and North Carolina. They have thus, discovered that 45 minutes of aerobics practiced three or four times a week have remarkable effects on patients’ brains.
During the experiment, researchers asked 71 sedentary old people to perform physical exercises, while their heart rates were being constantly monitored. At the end of the sport sessions, respondents were subject to MRI scans. The latter showed that physical movements have increased the blood flow in their heart and, consequently in their brains, rendering active even those areas that have been partially affected by Alzheimer.
Based on these findings, scientists have concluded that urging old patients to stay physically active could be a solution to this memory impairing disease. In addition, aerobics brings additional other advantages such as, a significant reduction of spinal fluid proteins, doctors have concluded.
While the effects of the current research are modest, scientists believe a huge step has been made for the recovery of Alzheimer’s patients. They take great hopes that the new findings will enable caretakers to better supervise their patients and to adopt better programs for them during their hospital stays.
Experts have acknowledged that the current research has to be complemented by many more studies in the field before doctors could finally admit that physical exercises really make a difference in patients’ condition. For that matter, they will conduct an 18-month experiment during which old patients will practice sports on a regular basis.
Image source: www.health.harvard.edu
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.