In
recent studies, researchers have came to the conclusion that by doing aerobic
exercises, you can actually improve your memory function and keep a more steady
health for your brain as you age. This study was discovered by researchers at
Australia’s National Institute of Complementary Medicine at the Western Sydney
University, Division of Psychology, and the Mental Health at the University of
Manchester in the United Kingdom.
The
first thing the researchers did was that they studied the effects that happened
after doing aerobic exercises on the part of the brain called the hippocampus,
which is a very important part of the brain for memory. It has been proven that
as you age, your brain health gets worst, as the average brain shrinks about
five per cent per every 10 years once you turn 40. By doing studies on rats and
mice, it has been able to prove that exercise increases the size of the
hippocampus, but up until now, the evidence we have gained from humans has not
been consistent.
A
researcher by the name of Mr. Firth came to the conclusion that, “When you
exercise, you produce a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor
(BDNF), which may help to prevent age-related decline by reducing the
deterioration of the brain.” Mr. Firth also stated that the results have also
proven that they are able to help prevent things like Alzheimer’s and dementia,
but more research is going to need to be done to know for sure.
Overall,
the data was able to show that instead of the aerobic exercises actually
increasing the size of the hippocampus, the ‘brain benefits’ that it gains are
because of the aerobic exercises “slowing down the deterioration in brain
size”. It has been proven that physical exercises is one of the only ways you
can help maintain your brain size and the way it functions when you start to
get older.
