Just six minutes of high-intensity exercise a day might help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new scientific study.
What if short-term sport might prolong the lifespan of a healthy brain and delay cognitive decline? This is in a way the conclusion of a new scientific study published in The Journal of Physiology and relayed by the Daily mail. According to several researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand, just six minutes of high-intensity exercise a day might help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
As part of their study, the scientists were trying to find the best way to stimulate the production of a certain protein, called BDNF and known to be essential for brain formation, learning and memory. It is also known to support the brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways.
As they reveal, pharmaceutical interventions like taking medications failed to increase the amount of BDNF produced by the human body. Faced with this observation, the researchers then looked at four other methods likely to boost the protein: a 20-hour fast, 90 minutes of low-intensity cycling, a six-minute vigorous exercise session and a combination of fasting and of exercise.
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Non-pharmacological approaches
And the results revealed that brief but vigorous exercise was the most effective way to increase BDNF. “We have seen the need to explore non-pharmacological approaches capable of preserving the capacity of the brain that humans can use to naturally increase BDNF to support healthy aging,” said study lead author Travis Gibbons. Note that a recent study also found that one-minute bursts of daily activity, such as running to a bus, may help prolong life.
A total of 55.2 million people have Alzheimer’s disease or a related disease worldwide, according to the WHO. This number is expected to reach 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050.
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