Brain Health & Yoga,Lifestyle, Exercise & Yoga

Brain Health Dependent On Lifestyle Factors

Lifestyle is directly related to brain health. For example, nutrition, sleep, sitting and exercise can impact everything from brain fog to mood and recovery from traumatic brain injury.

• Research analyzed by Harvard Medical School has found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function. This includes a worsening of mood disorders such as depression.
• Regular aerobic activity can lead to structural changes in the brain resulting in improved cognition.
• Research shows that taking breaks from sitting every 30 minutes improves blood flow to the brain.
• Sleep flushes out toxins in the brain. See also: Sleep Issues & Yoga.

For a very inspirational and visual 3-minute video on Brain Health, see here.

LIFESTYLE CHOICES HELP OUR BRAIN TO BE IN A CONSTANT STATE OF REGENERATION

Have you ever wished you could regenerate those brain cells you sacrificed in college? Do you fear that your aging brain is in a perpetual state of decline? Medical science is being rewritten to show that we CAN improve the health of our brain, and that repairing damage is not only possible, it’s something anyone can do. It is a commonly held misconception that the brain is beyond repair. Even the medical establishment has asserted that once we kill brain cells, they are gone forever. The fact is, the brain can repair itself, and as science is now proving, there is real benefit to simple practices that can help keep our brains sharp and elastic throughout our lifetime... It was [previously] believed that once damaged, the brain could not regenerate. Brain cells were finite, and any loss or injury would be suffered as a deficiency for the rest of that person’s life. This created a false belief that the brain is essentially in a perpetual state of decline. Although compelling evidence to the contrary was presented as early as 1960, medical dogma was (and is) slow to change. It wasn’t until the 1980’s when Fernando Nottebohm’s research at Rockefeller University clearly indicated that neurogenesis – production of new nerve cells, aka neurons – was taking place in the adult vertebrate brain. [See the article for highlights of research on how such activities as exercise, stress reduction and nutrition impact brain health.] – Sayer Ji 

TAKE SITTING BREAKS EVERY 30 MINUTES IMPROVES BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN

An August 15th, 2018 article in the New York Times Why Sitting May Be Bad for Your Brain discussed the results of a new study, which adds yet another potential reason for us to get up regularly when sitting for long periods of time. The study measured changes in blood flow to the brain…  To [learn] the effect of prolonged sitting on blood flow to the brain, researchers in England studied 15 healthy adults… who worked jobs that involved long periods of sitting… The researchers used an ultrasound machine to track the blood flow through the middle cerebral artery, one of the brain’s main arteries, and also monitored the carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the subjects’ exhalations to see if that might correlate with any blood flow changes. Subjects were monitored in three separate situations… Most impressively, overall blood flow was higher at the end of 4 hours when a 2-minute break occurred every 30 minutes. – Baxter Bell MD 

SLEEP FLUSHES OUT TOXINS IN THE BRAIN

Lack of sleep impairs reasoning, problem-solving, and attention to detail, among other effects… [In addition] a mouse study suggests that sleep helps restore the brain by flushing out toxins that build up during waking hours. The results point to [the] role for sleep in health and disease. – National Institutes of Health, How Sleep Clears the Brain 

Effects of Exercise on Brain Health

There are numerous reasons thought to account for the connection between exercise and brain health. Examples include:

• Proper blood flow to the brain is necessary to prevent malfunction.
• Exercise appears to offset cerebral cellular loss associated with aging, likely due to strengthening the wall of the blood vessels that support the cerebral blood flow. (Ram Rao)
• Regular aerobic activity can lead to structural changes in the brain resulting in improved cognition. This is thought to be due to the increased blood flow to the brain, thus increasing the oxygen and other nutrients supplied to the brain.  (Nina Zolotow)
• Exercise and yoga increase BDNF (Brain Derived Nerve Growth Factor) which sustains and protects the neurons and the nerve-to-nerve communication, making the brain more resilient.
• The more challenging a posture or other physical activity, the greater the workload for the heart. Because of the direct link between the cardiovascular system and the brain, such challenge fosters both brain and heart health. (Baxter Bell MD & Nina Zolotow)

JUST 6 MINUTES OF HIGH-INTENSITY ACTIVITY COULD DELAY ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Researchers found that a short but intense bout of exercise (cycling, in this case, but it would apply to other forms of exercise, too) increased the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that protects brain cells and promotes learning and memory. Previous studies have shown that higher BDNF levels are associated with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a great way to give your brain a boost. [See Kresser’s comments for more extremely important findings from the research.]  – Chris Kresser 

RESEARCH WITH ADULT TWINS LINKS PHYSICAL STRENGTH & BRAIN HEALTH (2018)

Although I always repeat to myself “what is good for the heart is good for the brain,” I am used to thinking about the brain as somehow being separate from the rest of the body. So I was flabbergasted to read about a recent study of aging twins that showed that powerful leg muscles resulting from physical exercise correlate with sharper minds… The study was performed on 324 female twins (average age 55, ranging from 43-73). At the beginning of the study and then again 10 years later, scientists performed cognitive testing for all participants. For 20 pairs of identical twins, they also performed brain-imaging scans.  – Nina Zolotow 

MORE COMMENTARY ON 2018 RESEARCH

Groundbreaking research shows that neurological health depends as much on signals sent by the body’s large, leg muscles to the brain as it does on directives from the brain to the muscles… The study fundamentally alters brain and nervous system medicine — giving doctors new clues as to why patients with motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy and other neurological diseases often rapidly decline when their movement becomes limited. – Science Blog, Leg Exercise is Critical to Brain and Nervous System Health 

THERE IS EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF MOVEMENT ON BRAIN HEALTH

1. Thirty to 45 minutes of age-appropriate aerobic exercise in healthy adults improves reasoning, problem-solving, motor reflexes, comprehension, impulse control, creativity, and perseverance.
2. Exercise improves memory by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is a molecular factor that helps form new synapses that mediate learning and memory, making it easier to absorb information and create long-term memories.
3. Moderate exercise reduces inflammatory, oxidative, and metabolic changes that contribute to brain disease states such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
4. Acute bouts of moderately intense aerobic exercise (i.e., walking) may improve the cognitive control of attention, academic performance, and mental health across a lifespan.
5. Just 10 minutes of physical activity may be enough to release feel-good endorphins, endogenous cannabinoids, and other natural brain chemicals that can enhance your sense of well-being. – Christine Carr c-IAYT 

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN

Studies have shown that the risk factors that can lead to heart disease and stroke, such as physical inactivity and obesity, also contribute to dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss and cognitive dysfunction. Here’s what happens: Those unhealthy behaviors can lead to narrowing of the blood vessels. That reduces blood flow to the brain, and leads to hardening of the arteries of the heart and the brain. When your brain doesn’t get the blood flow it needs, it can begin to malfunction. As a result… you could experience problems thinking, trouble with memory, difficulty finding your way from place to place and deterioration in cognitive function. If blood flow to the brain is abruptly blocked, you could even have a stroke. – American Heart Association, Protect Your Heart, Protect Your Brain 

AEROBIC ENDURANCE EXERCISE INCREASES CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW

[Many age-related brain issues] have a common underlying phenomenon: reduced blood flow to the brain. A reduction in the cerebral blood flow results in poor oxygen content delivered to the brain. Unlike other regions of the body, the brain cannot function if it is deprived of oxygen even for a very short time, resulting in brain cell death and cognitive failure…. One research study… provided the first evidence that cerebral blood flow is elevated by aerobic-endurance exercise… The authors of this study concluded that regular physical exercise is likely to offset age-associated cerebral cellular loss and atrophy. The authors point to the role of the physical exercise in strengthening the wall of the blood vessels that support the cerebral blood flow. – Ram Rao PhD 

HEALTHY LEVELS OF BODY FAT & MUSCLE MASS AFFECT BRAIN HEALTH & COGNITIVE AGING

Increasing research shows that maintaining healthy levels of body fat and greater muscle mass has an effect on your brain health and may slow your rate of cognitive aging. People with higher amounts of abdominal fat had worse fluid intelligence with age, while those with greater muscle mass were more protected against such declines…Past research has linked midlife obesity with an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment, changes in short-term memory and executive functioning and dementia. In addition to regular exercise to increase muscle mass, eating a ketogenic diet to maintain a healthy body weight and avoid obesity may support your brain health as you age. – Joseph Mercola MD