Exercise and Your Brain’s Destiny
- 7/22/16
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by
David Perlmutter, M.D., Board-Certified Neurologist
By David Perlmutter, M.D.
How would you like to undergo stem cell therapy that would target your brain? What if I told you there was a new stem cell program that will give your brain stem cells, enhance the growth and functionality of your brain’s memory center (the hippocampus), is totally safe and will cost you nothing?
It’s hard to imagine that anyone wouldn’t pass this by, especially if they were at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
In a new study, just published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers from multiple institutions evaluated the role of physical activity in terms of the size of various brain areas as well as risk for the development of Alzheimer’s. The study followed 876 elderly adults and revealed a powerful correlation between energy expenditure the size of various important brain areas. Specifically, those who expended more calories (more aerobic exercise) actually demonstrated increase in size of various brain areas, meaning that stem cell therapy was turned on, actually growing new brain cells!
The authors stated,
“With the elderly population growing rapidly, a better understanding of preventive measures for maintaining cognitive function is crucial. Studies such as this one suggest that simply caloric expenditure, regardless of type or duration of exercise, may alone moderate neurodegeneration and even increase grey matter volume in structures of the brain central to cognitive functioning.”
Cyrus A. Raji, MD, PhD, of UCLA, lead author of the study commented:
"We have no magic bullet cure for Alzheimer's disease. Our focus needs to be on prevention."
And this study concluded that simply engaging in aerobic activities, whether gardening, walking, biking or really anything that would raise heart rate, was associated with a 50% risk reduction for developing Alzheimer’s, a disease for which we have no meaningful treatment whatsoever.
So go out and get some exercise. And realizing that this is actually stem cell therapy for your brain may well motivate you even more!
[vc_column width="1/4"][vc_single_image image="73" img_size="full" alignment="center"][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_empty_space height="5px"][vc_column_text]About Dr. Perlmutter: David Perlmutter, M.D., is an expert in the human microbiome, a board-certified neurologist, Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, America’s brain-health expert and #1 New York Times best-selling author.
