A recent study reveals that regular physical activity, even at moderate levels, is linked to increased brain volumes in areas important for memory and learning, offering a straightforward approach to enhancing brain health and reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
An international study involving clinical researchers from the Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Brain Health Center at Providence Saint John’s Health Center has uncovered a fascinating connection between regular exercise and improved brain health.
The study’s findings are detailed in the paper recently published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The research indicates that physical activity is associated with an increase in the size of brain regions critical for memory and learning.
Study Findings on Brain Volumes and Physical Activity
The study looked at MRI brain scans from 10,125 people done at Prenuvo imaging centers, a key collaborator in the research. It found those who regularly engaged in physical activities such as walking, running or sports had larger brain volumes in key areas. This includes the gray matter, which helps with processing information, and the white matter, which connects different brain regions, as well as the hippocampus, important for memory.
Cyrus A. Raji, M.D., the lead researcher, explains the findings in simple terms: “Our research supports earlier studies that show being physically active is good for your brain. Exercise not only lowers the risk of dementia but also helps in maintaining brain size, which is crucial as we age.”
David Merrill, M.D., study co-author and director of the PBHC noted, “We found that even moderate levels of physical activity, such as taking fewer than 4,000 steps a day, can have a positive effect on brain health. This is much less than the often-suggested 10,000 steps, making it a more achievable goal for many people.”
Study co-author Somayeh Meysami, M.D., assistant professor of neurosciences at Saint John’s Cancer Institute and the Pacific Brain Health Center noted, “Our research links regular physical activity to larger brain volumes, suggesting neuroprotective benefits. This large sample study furthers our understanding of lifestyle factors in brain health and dementia prevention.”
Broader Implications of the Study
A Lancet Study in 2020 found about a dozen modifiable risk factors increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease, including physical activity. This work builds upon previous work by this group, linking caloric burn from leisure activities to improved brain structure.
“This study demonstrates the influence of exercise on brain health imaging and when added to other studies on the role of diet, stress reduction and social connection offer the proven benefits of drug-free modifiable factors in substantially reducing Alzheimer’s disease,” said George Perry, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
“With comprehensive imaging scans, our study underscores the interconnected synergy between the body and the brain. It echoes the knowledge of past generations, showcasing that increased physical activity is a predictor of a healthier aging brain,” said Dr. Attariwala, senior author of this paper.
This research highlights an easy way to keep our brains healthy: stay active! Whether it’s a daily walk or a favorite sport, regular physical activity can have lasting benefits for our brain health.
Regular workouts can help reduce the risk of cancer by various mechanisms, not least of which is how exercise affects the way each cell in the body breaks down food for energy, the body’s hormonal environment and the benefits of exercise for our immune system
Exercise increases energy metabolism in cells, enhances blood flow, supplies more oxygen to the tissues, and helps remove waste products, including lactate and other metabolites. These changes create a less favourable environment for cancer cells to thrive.
Cancer remains one of modern medicine’s most formidable challenges. But amid the complexity of genetic factors and environmental triggers, we have a surprisingly potent ally in our fight against cancer: regular exercise.
In the modern health and wellness dictionary, the virtues of exercise are sung almost universally – a chorus echoing the benefits of improved cardiovascular health, stronger muscles, and enhanced mental well-being.
However, nestled within these well-known melodies is a less discussed yet profoundly significant verse – the role of regular exercise in reducing cancer risk.
To appreciate this relationship, let’s look at the impact of exercise on improving the respiration capabilities of each cell in our body and the beneficial hormonal environment triggered in the body that helps us reduce our risk of developing cancer.
Cellular alchemy of exercise
At its core, cancer is a disease marked by rogue cells that proliferate uncontrollably, a rebellion against the body’s orchestrated systems of controlled growth and programmed cell death known as ‘apoptosis’.
Central to understanding this is the concept of cellular respiration – the process by which cells convert food that we eat into a usable form of energy for the cell known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Cancer cells, as Otto Warburg first observed in the 1920s, exhibit altered metabolic pathways (Chandel, 2014). Normal cells rely heavily on aerobic respiration – or ‘oxidative phosphorylation’ – to produce ATPs. This is a process that occurs in the mitochondria, the powerhouses of every cell, under oxygen-rich conditions in which food is burned for energy using the oxygen we breathe. Cancer cells, on the other hand, preferentially use anaerobic form of respiration known as ‘glycolysis’, a process of converting glucose into the ATP without using oxygen even when it is abundantly available in the cell. This phenomenon, known as the Warburg effect, results in less efficient energy production and an acidic environment conducive to cancer progression and metastasis of tumours (Liberti & Locasale, 2016).
Systemic benefits of exercise
Exercise – a well-choreographed dance of physiological adaptations – can control these cellular processes of energy production. When we exercise, our muscles demand more energy (ATP), accelerating glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation processes for energy production. Exercise increases energy metabolism in cells, enhances blood flow, supplies more oxygen to the tissues, and helps remove waste products, including lactate and other metabolites. This heightened activity counters lactate production in cancer cells due to perpetual glycolysis and improves its removal. These changes create a less favourable environment for cancer cells to thrive (Høier & Hellsten, 2014).
However, exercise’s benefits extend far beyond these immediate metabolic shifts. Regular physical activity leads to a multitude of long-term adaptations that collectively fortify the body against the threat of cancer. For instance, exercise has been shown to improve the efficiency of mitochondria by accelerating their repair and reproduction rate, thereby improving cellular aerobic respiration and potentially counteracting the Warburg effect observed in cancer cells (Hood, 2011).
Exercise and the reduction of specific cancer risks
The empirical evidence supporting exercise’s protective role against cancer is substantial and growing. Exercise exerts a systemic influence on the body’s hormonal milieu. It lowers levels of inflammatory markers, insulin and insulin-like growth factors, which, at high levels, are associated with increased cancer risk, particularly in colon cancers (Lee, 2003) (Hojman et al., 2018).
Breast cancer, a disease where hormonal factors significantly influence risk, is less prevalent in women who engage in regular physical activity (McTiernan, 2003). This protective effect is partly attributed to exercise-induced reductions in levels of estrogen, a hormone that can fuel certain types of breast cancer.
Moreover, physical activity aids in weight management, which is crucial since obesity is a known risk factor for various cancers, including endometrial and kidney cancers (Lauby-Secretan et al., 2016).
Regular physical activity also boosts the immune system’s efficiency, enhancing its ability to detect and eliminate emerging cancer cells (Pedersen & Saltin, 2015). This bolstered defence is particularly critical in the early stages of cancer development, where the immune system’s ability to curb the growth of aberrant cells can be pivotal.
From a cellular standpoint, exercise induces oxidative stress, paradoxically yielding beneficial effects. This stress activates a cascade of molecular responses that enhance the body’s antioxidant defences and repair mechanisms, fostering resilience against cellular damage that could otherwise lead to cancer (Radak et al., 2005).
In the broader tapestry of cancer prevention, exercise represents a thread interwoven with other lifestyle factors such as diet, smoking cessation, and alcohol moderation. The synergy of these factors creates a robust shield against cancer development.
Pathway to cancer prevention
So, how much exercise is needed to harness these protective benefits? The American Cancer Society recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise each week (Rock et al., 2012). However, the magic of exercise is not in its complexity but in its accessibility. From brisk walking to structured gym workouts, the spectrum of physical activity that can confer these benefits is vast, offering a plethora of choices adaptable to different ages, preferences, and lifestyles. Each step taken, each pedal turned, is not just a physical act but a declaration of resilience against a formidable foe.
The narrative of exercise as a cancer prevention tool is as compelling as it is scientifically grounded. As we navigate through the complexities of cancer, let us not underestimate the power of putting our bodies in motion. By delving into the intricate dance of cellular respiration and the systemic physiological adaptations invoked by physical activity, we uncover a powerful ally in the fight against cancer. This understanding empowers us to take proactive steps to reduce our cancer risk, and sheds light on potential avenues for scientific research and public health policies.
As we continue to unravel the mysteries of cancer, the role of exercise in this saga remains a beacon of hope and a testament to the human body’s resilience. Finally, in the words of Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize winner and a leading researcher in cancer, we are “the agents of our destiny.” Through exercise, we wield a powerful tool in shaping that destiny away from cancer.
According to a study, regular moderate to intense exercise could protect the brain from “silent strokes,” small brain lesions that are the first sign of cerebrovascular disease.[1]
Cerebrovascular disease is a group of brain disorders related to disease of the blood vessels that supply the brain. Cerebrovascular disease includes all disorders in which an area of the brain is permanently or temporarily affected by bleeding or the lack of blood flow.
Cerebrovascular disease mostly impacts the elderly or those individuals have a history of ischemic heart disease or diabetes. Cerebrovascular disease includes aneurysms, stroke, vertebral stenosis, carotid stenosis and intracranial stenosis, as well as vascular malformations.
These ‘silent strokes’ are more significant than the name implies, because they have been associated with a higher risk of falls and impaired mobility, stroke, memory problems and even dementia. Encouraging people to take part in moderate to intense exercise may be an important strategy for keeping their brains healthy.
The researchers examined data of 1,238 older people who had never had a stroke. At the start of the study, 43 percent of the participants reported that they had no regular exercise; 36 percent engaged in regular light exercise, such as walking, golf, dancing or bowling; and 21 percent engaged in regular moderate to intense exercise, such as tennis, hiking, biking, swimming, racquetball or jogging.
Approximately six years later, when the participants were an average of 70 years old, the researchers made MRI scans of their brains. The brain scans revealed that 16 percent had small brain lesions called silent strokes. The participants who reported engaging in moderate to intense exercise were 40 percent less likely to have the silent strokes than those who did no regular exercise.
The results had taken into account other vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking. There was no difference of the likelihood of silent strokes between those who engaged in light exercise and those who did not exercise.
Participants who exercised regularly at a moderate to intense level who had Medicaid or no health insurance were no less likely to have silent strokes than people who did no regular exercise.
Researchers have found that taking Vitamin C supplements daily can have similar cardiovascular benefits as regular exercise in overweight and obese adults.
If you are too lazy to wake up for your morning walk, results of a new study may cheer you up.
Researchers have found that taking Vitamin C supplements daily can have similar cardiovascular benefits as regular exercise in overweight and obese adults.
The blood vessels of overweight and obese adults have elevated activity of the small vessel-constricting protein called Endothelin (ET)-1.
Because of the high ET-1 activity, these vessels are more prone to constricting, becoming less responsive to blood flow demand and increasing risk of developing vascular disease.
Exercise has been shown to reduce ET-1 activity but incorporating an exercise regimen into a daily routine can be challenging.
This study, conducted at University of Colorado, Boulder in the US, examined whether vitamin C supplements, which have been reported to improve vessel function, can also lower ET-1 activity.
The researchers found that daily supplementation of Vitamin C (500 mg/day) reduced ET-1-related vessel constriction as much as walking for exercise did.
Vitamin C supplementation represents an effective lifestyle strategy for reducing ET-1-mediated vessel constriction in overweight and obese adults, the researchers wrote.
The findings were presented at the 14th International Conference on Endothelin: Physiology, Pathophysiology and Therapeutics in Savannah, Georgia, US.
ARYAN'S BLOG 
