As we get older, tissues and organs degenerate, and the ability to maintain cell functionality decreases. Neurodegeneration or loss of neurons is recorded.
Whether in pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimer or in the loss of functionality due to aging, different changes associated with loss of function occur in the brain.
The equation: more exercise, more memory
We have had evidence for a long time that the practice of physical exercise improves Cognitive ability and increases the size of certain areas of the brain, especially those related to memory.
In 2011 an article was published in PNAS (Papers of the US National Academy of Sciences) where it was indicated that physical exercise increased the volume of the hippocampus, the section of the brain where memory resides. In other studies in older people, it was shown to prevent volume loss in this area of the brain.
On the other hand, the practice of controlled physical exercise in a population of older people has brought to light that there is a positive correlation between the practice of physical exercise and the amount of gray matter in other areas of the brain that are sensitive to degeneration associated with aging.
We tend to think of our body as a compartmentalized system. If we have a liver problem, we focus on the liver, and if it is on the kidney, then on the kidney. But our body doesn’t work like that: everything is interconnected. That is why a kidney problem can end up aggravating heart disease, or a liver problem can cause cerebral ischemia. In aging in particular, the complex body balances are in a very precarious situation.
When we exercise we put our body under moderate stress, as we force the cells to increase energy expenditure. This implies mobilizing nutrients, which must pass from the stores to the muscles. All the physiological changes necessary to cope with this moderate stress are known as hormesis.
In the process of hormesis, the muscles release substances that inform the rest of the organs that energy demand is increasing. These substances are called myokines and are released into the blood, which distributes them to the rest of the organs.