Six minutes of daily high-intensity exercise could delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease

Medical Xpress / The Physiological Society / The Journal of Physiology ^ | Jan. 11, 2023 | Travis Gibbons et al

[ConservativeMind]

Six minutes of high-intensity exercise could extend the lifespan of a healthy brain and delay the onset of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. New research published in The Journal of Physiology shows that a short but intense bout of cycling increases the production of a specialized protein that is essential for brain formation, learning and memory, and could protect the brain from age-related cognitive decline.

The specialized protein named brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promotes neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to form new connections and pathways) and the survival of neurons. Animal studies have shown that increasing the availability of BDNF encourages the formation and storage of memories, enhances learning and overall boosts cognitive performance.

They found that brief but vigorous exercise was the most efficient way to increase BDNF compared to one day of fasting with or without a lengthy session of light exercise. BDNF increased by four to five-fold (396 pg L-1 to 1170 pg L-1) more compared to fasting (no change in BDNF concentration) or prolonged activity (slight increase in BDNF concentration, 336 pg L-1 to 390 pg L-1).

The observed increase in BDNF during exercise could be due to the increased number of platelets (the smallest blood cell), which store large amounts of BDNF. The concentration of platelets circulating in the blood is more heavily influenced by exercise than fasting and increases by 20%.

[tired&retired]

It would depend upon the type of sleep apnea.

[SgtHooper]

Now wait just one minute! I was aksed to be a candidate in an Alzheimer study, recently, in a Cleveland Clinic study where 75 chumps (65-80yrs) ride a bike for 30 minutes three times a week, and the other 75 continue with their normal lifestyle. I declined because it’d interfere with my golfing during the winter months. Brain scans are performed before and after. This is simply a government conspiracy to find out what I think. So now I wear a used coffee bean bag over my head to block the signals. BTW, those bags are great faraday cages. Nah noo! Nah noo!