Worldwide, millions of people struggle with neurodegenerative diseases. Such diseases arise from the death or dysfunction of nerve cells in the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is a common disorder affecting approximately 6.5 million people in the United States. Alzheimer’s disease damages the areas of the brain that manage thought, memory, and language. In addition, this disease is a form of dementia that causes a gradual decline in memory, thinking, behavior and social skills, all of which inhibit an individual’s ability to carry on simple daily tasks.
A previous study discovered that high intensity exercise can help maintain brain health and hinders the commencement of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. This process is associated with a protein found in the brain called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF has the ability to promote the formation of new connections of nerve cells within the brain as well as improve the survival of nerve cells in the brain. Previous studies have proved that increasing the presence of BDNF heightens learning, memory, and overall cognitive behavior. Such characteristics have led to an increased interest in BDNF in aging research since it has been shown to enhance the areas of the brain that are affected by neurodegenerative diseases.
New cognitive research is working to find accessible solutions to combat health conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases.
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To better understand how BDNF combats age-related cognitive deterioration, the study sought to find natural ways to increase BDNF levels in the brain. The study had a total of 12 participants, consisting of six males and six females. The participants were physically active and between the ages of 18 and 56 years. Four different conditions were compared in the study: fasting for 20 hours, 1.5 hours of low intensity cycling, a six-minute period of high intensity, vigorous cycling, and a combination of fasting and exercise. The study discovered that high intensity exercise resulted in the highest increase in BDNF within the subjects compared to the other three factors. For instance, fasting showed no significant increase in BDNF levels while light exercise only resulted in a slight increase in BDNF.
The exact reason for the increase in BDNF with vigorous exercise compared to other factors is not well known; however, such a result could be attributed to the body’s metabolism or blood cells. Future studies are required to better understand the relationship between BDNF, fasting, and exercise. Nevertheless, discovering more benefits of exercise greatly contributes to the effort being made to find and research accessible practices to boost healthy aging and living, especially with cognition.
Featured Image: © Богдан Маліцький / Adobe Stock
