Stopping your exercise program can rapidly decrease brain blood flow

A small study involving older endurance athletes found that stopping their exercise for just 10 days was enough to significantly decrease blood flow to several important brain regions.

A small study involving 12 very fit older adults (aged 50-80; average age 61) found that, after stopping their exercise routines for 10 days, there was a significant decrease in blood flow to several brain regions, including the hippocampus and regions involved in the default mode network (both the hippocampus and the DMN show deterioration early in Alzheimer’s).

The study participants all had at least 15 years history of participating in endurance exercise and had recently competed in an endurance event; their usual exercise regimens had to entail at least four hours of high intensity endurance training each week. The group had a peak oxygen capacity above 90% for their age. This is a measure of the maximal rate of oxygen consumption of an individual and reflects their aerobic physical fitness.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-08/uom-uio082916.php

Reference:

Alfini, A. J., Weiss, L. R., Leitner, B. P., Smith, T. J., Hagberg, J. M., & Smith, J. C. (2016). Hippocampal and Cerebral Blood Flow after Exercise Cessation in Master Athletes. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2016.00184

Exercise

Lifestyle

Related News

Walking to work cuts risk of diabetes and high blood pressure

Data from a survey of 20,000 people across the UK has found that people who cycle, walk, or take public transport to work had a lower risk of being overweight than those who drove or took a taxi.

Gardening as good as exercise in cutting heart attack risk

A Swedish study of some 4,000 60-year-olds has found that regular “non-exercise” physical activity such as gardening or DIY significantly reduced risk of heart attack or stroke, with those who were most active on a daily basis having a 27% lower risk of a heart attack or stroke and a 30% reduced

Vitamin C and E supplements hampers endurance training

An 11-week trial involving 54 young, healthy men and women engaging in an endurance training program, has found that markers for the production of new muscle mitochondria only increased in the group not taking vitamin C and E supplements.

Exercise improves heart function via mitochondria

A mouse study has found that long-term physical activity increased levels of two

Moderate exercise cuts women's stroke risk

Data from 133,479 women in the California Teachers Study has found that those who reported doing moderate physical activity (such as brisk walking) in the three years before enrolling in the study were 20% less likely to suffer a stroke than women who reported no activity.

Combining cardio and resistance training: Does the order matter?

It’s well established that performing both cardio- and resistance training in the same session is decidedly better than doing them separately, but does the order matter?

Benefits of exercise for older adults depends on genes

A year-long study involving 424 sedentary, mobility-limited seniors aged 70-89, has found that variants in a specific gene (the ACE I/D gene) affect seniors’ ability to benefit from exercise.

Importance of muscle for older adults

Data from the American National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III, involving 3,659 individuals (men aged 55+; women 65+), has found that the more muscle mass older adults have, the less likely they are to die prematurely.

How yoga changes the brain

Brain scans have revealed that those who regularly practiced yoga had larger brain volume in the

Tai Chi improves blood flow in young adults

A year-long study involving young adults has compared those who engaged in either tai chi or brisk walking or no exercise. Those who practiced tai chi had a significantly higher number of CD 34+ cells compared with those in the other groups.

Pages