The Brain
Brain Food
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Physical activity is pretty clearly linked to brain health and cognitive function. People who exercise appear to have greater brain volume, better thinking and memory skills, and even reduced risk of dementia. A recent study in the journal Neurology found that older people who vigorously exercise have cognitive test scores that place them at the equivalent of 10 years younger. It’s not totally clear why this is, but it’s likely due to the increased blood flow to the brain that comes from physical activity. Exercise is also thought to help generate new neurons in the hippocampus, the brain area where learning and memory “live,” and which is known to lose volume with age, depression and Alzheimer’s disease. The one stark exception to the exercise rule is impact sports like football, which has been shown again and again to be linked to brain damage and dementia, since even low-level impacts can accrue over time. The same is true for soccer headers. Starting an exercise routine earlier in life is likely the best way to go, and the effects more pronounced the younger one begins. More research will be needed, but in the meantime, enough research has shown exercise to be beneficial to the brain that it’s pretty hard not to at least acknowledge it (even if we don’t do it as much as we should). Alice G. Walton ,CONTRIBUTOR
Exercise = Medicine
1. Exercise is great for your brain.
2. You might get happier.
3. It might make you age slower.
4. It’ll make your skin look better.
5. Amazing things can happen in just a few minutes.
6. It can help you recover from a major illness.
7. Your fat cells will shrink.
2. You might get happier.
3. It might make you age slower.
4. It’ll make your skin look better.
5. Amazing things can happen in just a few minutes.
6. It can help you recover from a major illness.
7. Your fat cells will shrink.