2024-03-04 05:00:37
Yoga sessions can help maintain the cognitive and memory capacity of women over 50 who are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
The discovery was made by researchers at the University of California (UCLA), in the United States, and published on February 14 in the scientific journal Translational Psychiatry.
The researchers recruited 79 women over the age of 50 who were potentially at greater risk of suffering from the neurodegenerative disease because they had a genetic variant that has been associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s.
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The volunteers reported that they were already noticing some degree of cognitive decline and had health problems such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes. Some had recently suffered heart attacks.
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Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease caused by the death of brain cells and can appear decades before the first symptoms appear PM Images/ Getty Images
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As it is a disease that tends to worsen over the years, early diagnosis is essential to delay its progression. Therefore, when presenting any symptoms of the disease, it is essential to consult a specialist Andrew Brookes/ Getty Images
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Although the symptoms are more common in people over the age of 70, it is not uncommon for them to appear in young people around 30. In fact, when this “premature” manifestation occurs, the condition is called early Alzheimer’s Westend61/ Getty Images
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In the initial phase, a person with Alzheimer’s tends to have changes in memory and starts to forget simple things, such as: where they kept their keys, what they ate for breakfast, someone’s name or even the season of the year urbazon/ Getty Images
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Disorientation, difficulty remembering the address where you live or the route home, difficulties in making simple decisions, such as planning what you are going to do or eat, for example, are also signs of the disease manifestation OsakaWayne Studios/ Getty Images
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Furthermore, loss of desire to perform routine tasks, changes in behavior (making the person more nervous or aggressive), and repetitions are some of the most common symptoms Kobus Louw/ Getty Images
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According to research carried out by the Alzheimer’s Drugs Discovery Foundation (ADDF), the presence of damaged proteins (Amyloid and Tau), vascular diseases, neuroinflammation, neural and genetic energy failure (APOE) may be related to the emergence of Rossella De Berti disease/ Getty Images
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Alzheimer’s treatment involves the use of medication to reduce the symptoms of the disease, in addition to the need for physiotherapy and cognitive stimulation. The disease has no cure and care must be taken until the end of life Towfiqu Barbhuiya / EyeEm/ Getty Images
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Participants were divided into two groups for 12 weeks, approximately four months. One group dedicated themselves to practicing a type of yoga called Kundalini and the other group underwent cognitive exercises, a type of brain training to stimulate memory and learning.
Follow-up exams – carried out with CT scans of the participants’ brains – showed the reconstruction of neural pathways, a reduced decline in brain mass and the reversal of some biomarkers (biological signs) linked to aging and inflammation. In the group that did the cognitive exercises, the same parameters did not achieve such significant results.
“The results suggest clinical and biological benefits of Kundalini against subjective cognitive decline, linking changes in cognition to the anti-inflammatory effects of Yoga,” the researchers write in the article.
Neuroplasticity
Psychiatrist Helen Lavretsky, who participated in the study, believes that the benefits derive from neuroplasticity, which consists of the brain’s ability to physiologically modify itself in response to environmental changes. “Yoga is good for reducing stress, improving mental health, reducing inflammation and enhancing neuroplasticity,” she comments.
Scientists observed that volunteers who performed cognitive exercises also observed improvements in their recall capacity, with practical effects that were very useful in their daily lives. They add that it is not necessary to abandon cognitive exercises and focus on yoga. For them, the ideal is, if there is an opportunity, to do both.
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