“Sometimes genetic research also brings joy.” Jose Luis Trejo He not only makes this statement: he is also in charge of bringing us one of these good news. He is one of the researchers at the Cajal Institute, the center that has directed a study that, indeed, brings us good news. Or at least for those who had parents who exercised before they came into the world. Because according to the results of the study in which this center of the Superior Council of Scientific Investigations (CSIC), laboratory mice that had parents who performed moderate physical exercise also have brains in better cognitive conditions. In other words, even if the parents had a healthy body, their sons and daughters will enjoy a mens there as inheritance.
Although the parents had a healthy body, their sons and daughters will enjoy a healthy mens as an inheritance
As Trejo explains, neuroscientific researchers have long known that effects of stress are inherited and not only among rodents. “The children – and even the grandchildren – of those who suffered from famine and war may continue to feel the damage of these traumatic experiences.” This does not mean that a genetic change has been made in that family. It’s a factor epigenético. What does that mean? Well, in the words of the researcher: “genes are like a book: even if the pages do not change, you may be paying more attention to some pages, or giving more intonation to others.” That intonation or focus would be the epigenetic factor, which literally means on or near the genes. They are conditions of the gene without being part of it. Traumas would make us tend to leave To the darkest pages of this genetic book. Moderate physical exercise would have the opposite effect.
The importance of the hippocampus
We have known for decades that our bodily activity has a positive effect on our neurons. More recently, it has been discovered that new neuron creation continues in adult individuals, and particularly in the area of the brain we know as hippocampus. “That the increase in neurons in this area of the brain can be inherited is a particularly important fact, because it is the hippocampal neurons that are associated with conditions such as depression or anxiety,” explains Trejo. It is also this area of the brain that is in charge of memorization, with which it has a crucial role in learning and in the lasting retention in memory of what we learn. It is also the hippocampus that is in charge of orient ourselves spatiallyso we might say that an athlete father will help us park the car better.
Effects on depression
This neurogenesis or birth of neurons is a direct consequence of exercise, and has an effect on depression. According to the studies of the Cajal Institute, the virtues would go beyond our own organism, improving the quality of life of our descendants. In order to verify this inherited benefit, it has been necessary to have some mice with an exercise plan moderate and with descendants without physical activity, so that it is clear that their better mental functioning is entirely due to that previous exercise of the parent mouse. The offspring of sedentary mice have been compared with those of those who exercised, but previously sedentary mice have also been given an exercise regimen, which later became parents once more. Also in this case the same benefit was observed for the pups.
Moderate exercise regimens transmitted epigenetic enhancement to offspring through sperm
For the moment, the study has focused on the parents, detecting that the mice that had a lifestyle that included moderate exercise patterns transmitted this epigenetic improvement to their offspring through spermatozoa. In the future, it is expected that it will also be explored the possible transmission of these epigenetic conditions from the mother to her daughters and sons. It is also planned to further study whether the effects extend beyond that first generation and, if so, how strong the benefits are for the grandchildren of active mice.
More exercise does not equal more health
Another important conclusion of the study directed by Trejo is that the benefits of exercise for the body do not rise exponentially. More sport does not mean more health, at least as regards the effects of this practice for our brain.
It’s not just that you’re not going to keep improving, it’s going to have negative consequences.
It’s not just that you’re not going to keep improving, it’s going to have negative consequences. «Unlike what happens with the heart muscle, for example, that the more exercise you do, the better, until there comes a time when, no matter how much more you do, it will not improve, with the brain: in the brain there is a turning point that if you continue exercising you begin to lose the effects of stress, because cortisol rises in your blood and what you are gaining, on the one hand, you lose on the other». According to the description of the Cajal Institute researcher, it is as if the different epigenetic factors “competed with each other”. The benefits of sport would be on one side of the scale, while the mental stress of over-exercising would be on the other. Our balance should be the goal, the halfway point that allows our brain to get the most out of the exercise. Our brain activity will improve and our descendants will thank us.
In the brain there is a turning point that if you continue to exercise you begin to lose the effects
Is it possible to know what is that optimal point that we should not exceed? According to Trejo, yes it is. Specifically, there are two methods to find out. One is with the blood lactate threshold measurement, which would mark when that inflection point arrives that makes the effects of exercise on the brain negative. At the moment, it is not a viable methodology for most athletes. Another simpler method is the measurement –through a professional– of your heart rate and that marks an intensity curve that should not be exceeded.
Trejo also has some general advice for people who want to stay in shape: don’t look for generic exercise (or diet) plans, but look for your own threshold and regulate physical activity according to this data, also taking into account that it will vary as the person is more fit. This would also apply to diet.
