Sitting for long contributes to dementia risk as much as your genes, says Jennifer Heisz, PhD. She’s an expert in brain health and the author of the book Move The Body, Heal The Mind: Overcome Anxiety, Depression, and Dementia and Improve Focus, Creativity, and Sleep.
Dr. Heisz’ research focuses on how “moving the body impacts the mind” and is helping uncover the underlying functions that lead to a myriad of mental benefits from exercise.
Scientist’s interest in this topic in not new. We already know from research that exercise can improve memory and cognition and ease depression. Regular exercise can reduce the risk of developing dementia by 30 percent.
What is dementia?
Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change. Dementia ranges in severity from the mildest stage, when it is just beginning to affect a person’s functioning, to the most severe stage, when the person must depend completely on others for basic activities of living.
Worldwide, there are around 47.5 million people living with dementia. By 2030, this number is expected to rise to approximately 75.6 million. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for about 60-80 percent of all cases.
Dementia is more common as people grow older but it is not a normal part of ageing.
How movement and exercise help?
One of the ways movement and exercise can prevent dementia is through lactate. According to Dr. Heisz lactate is often thought of as the “villain” because it’s associated with the muscle pain after a workout but it promotes neuroplasticity in the brain and the growth of new blood vessels in the brain.
“Lactate moves from the muscles to the brain. There it stimulates growth factors that help support the growth and function of the brain cells. In particular in the hippocampus which is key region for memory function and is the region that is most damaged by Alzheimer’s disease.”
“We don’t fully understand how to treat the disease yet. But, what’s really clear is that exercise is an incredible preventive tool that we all have access to.”, says Dr. Heisz. “You can’t change your genes but you can change your life style. This study really underscores the importance of movement in protecting the brain.”
Related articles:
Yoga for people who sit a lot
Do you think you sit a lot in your day
Photo by Israel Andrade on Unsplash
