Exercise greatly benefits brain health, improving cognition, mood and reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Several new studies have demonstrated the profound impact of exercise on various biological systems, further explaining its ability to enhance health and fight disease. In this Special Feature, we explore the most recent research on how exercise can protect brain health as we age.Share on Pinterest
Recent studies examine the ways in which exercise helps prolong the health span, and maintains rain health with age. Image credit: FG Trade/Getty Images.Exercise is linked to increased muscle strength, improved heart health, lower blood sugar and numerous other health benefits.
Activities such as running on a treadmill, biking up a steep hill, lifting weights or taking a brisk lunchtime walk offer a wide range of advantages that go beyond enhancing physical appearance or stamina.
Evidence from studies suggests that regular physical activity could boost mood, alleviate stress, and sharpen cognitive function, underscoring the deep connection between body and mind.
However, different people can respond quite differently to various forms of exercise, such as aerobic workouts or strength training.
While it is well-known that regular exercise is crucial for a healthy lifestyle, some older research has suggested that intense exercise might have negative effects.
More recent research, however, showed that elite athletes experienced slightly extended life expectancies over the decades.
Exercise significantly enhances brain health by improving cognition, mood and by reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases through promoting neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity
.
What does the latest evidence and expert opinion have to say about the ways in which regular physical activity helps maintain brain, as well as general, health as we age?
How exercise affects the body at the molecular level
In a new collaborative effort led by Stanford Medicine, researchers have explored the underlying mechanisms through which exercise promotes overall health, particularly brain health.
By understanding how exercise affects different organs at the molecular level, health care providers could tailor exercise recommendations more effectively.
This knowledge could also pave the way for developing drug therapies that mimic the benefits of exercise for those who are unable to engage in physical activity.
The study — whose findings appear in Nature
— involved nearly 10,000 measurements across almost 20 types of tissues to examine the impact of 8 weeks of endurance exercise in lab rats trained to run on tiny treadmills.
Its conclusion reveals remarkable effects of exercise on the immune system, stress response, energy production and metabolism.
The researchers identified significant connections between exercise and molecules and genes that are already known to be involved in numerous human diseases and tissue recovery.
Other recent papers by Stanford Medicine researchers include a report in Nature Communications
that explores exercise-induced changes in genes and tissues associated with disease risk, and a paper published in Cell Metabolism
, which examines the effects of exercise on mitochondria, the cellular energy producers, in various tissues, in rats.
How endurance training affects the body
The Nature study examined the effects of 8 weeks of endurance training on various biological systems, including gene expression (the transcriptome), proteins (the proteome), fats (the lipidome), metabolites (the metabolome), DNA chemical tags (the epigenome) and the immune system.
The researchers conducted analyses on different tissues in rats trained to run increasing distances and compared these with the tissues of sedentary rats.
They focused on mitochondria in the leg muscles, the heart, liver, kidney, white adipose tissue — which accumulates as body fat — as well as lungs, brain, and brown adipose tissue — a metabolically active fat that burns calories.
This comprehensive approach generated hundreds of thousands of results for non-epigenetic changes and over 2 million distinct epigenetic changes in the mitochondria, providing a rich database for future research.
Alongside the primary goal of creating a database, some notable findings emerged. For instance, the expression of mitochondrial genes changed with exercise across different tissues.
Researchers found that training upregulated genes in the mitochondria of skeletal muscle of rats that are downregulated in the mitochondria in the skeletal muscle of individuals with type 2 diabetes.
They also showed that training upregulated genes in the mitochondria in the livers of rats, that are down regulated in people with cirrhosis.
These two findings suggest that endurance training may help improve muscular function in diabetes, as well as boost liver health.
Does biological sex affect how we respond to exercise?
Finally, the researchers identified sex differences in how male and female rats’ tissues responded to exercise.
After 8 weeks, male rats lost about 5% of their body fat, while female rats did not lose a significant amount. However, the female rats maintained their initial fat percentage, whereas sedentary females gained an additional 4% body fat during the study.
The most dynamic difference was in mitochondrial gene expression after exercise in rats was in the adrenal glands.
The study authors propose that differences observed due to exercise are largely due to changes in mitochondrial genetic expression in organs and tissues responsible for maintaining energy balance.
Exercise’s rejuvenating effect on immune cells
Another study, this time completed by a research group from The University of Queensland in Australia, and published in Aging Cell
, demonstrated how exercise might deter or decelerate cognitive decline as individuals age.
Researchers examined gene expression in individual brain cells of mice, discovering that exercise profoundly influences gene expression in microglia, the immune cells supporting brain function in the central nervous system.
Specifically, exercise reverted the gene expression patterns of aged microglia to patterns akin to those seen in young microglia.
Experiments depleting microglia demonstrated their necessity for the beneficial effects of exercise on the creation of new neurons in the hippocampus, a brain region vital for memory, learning and emotion.
This study also revealed that providing mice access to a running wheel prevented or reduced the presence of T cells in the hippocampus as they aged.
These immune cells are typically absent in the youthful brain but increase with age.
Co-corresponding author Jana Vukovic, PhD, assistant professor and head of the neuroimmunology and cognition laboratory at The University of Queensland, explained the key findings to Medical News Today.
Vukovic explained that: “[T]he aging process affects all of the different cell types in the brain with the greatest impact on the resident immune cells: microglia. Importantly, exercise reverts the microglial gene profile back to their youthful state.”
Understanding how exercise supports brain health “is a key question for many scientists globally,” Vukovic noted, adding that she and her colleagues “propose that exercise alters the immune landscape in the ageing brain and therefore enables the immune cells to continue to support nerve cell function.”
“The role of microglia beyond being involved in clearance of cellular debris is not very well understood. We know that microglia support birth of new neurons in the hippocampus — a structure important for learning and memory. However, there could be many other mechanisms at play.”
– Jana Vukovic, PhD
Exercise strengthens brain cell connections
Ryan Glatt, CPT, NBC-HWC, senior brain health coach and director of the FitBrain Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, not involved in these studies, told MNT they “underscore the multifaceted benefits of exercise on brain health, particularly through gene regulation, mitochondrial function, and immune response.”
“They offer valuable insights by merging molecular biology with practical health interventions for aging populations,” he added.
For example, “exercise enhances synaptic plasticity and blood flow while reducing inflammation and increasing the expression of neurotrophic factors like BDNF
,” Glatt explained. “These effects can synergistically improve memory, learning, and overall brain health.”
“Exercise can influence gene expression related to brain plasticity, inflammation, and metabolism, while also enhancing mitochondrial function and modulating immune responses. Hormonal changes due to physical activity can also contribute to improved mood and reduced stress.”
– Ryan Glatt, CPT, NBC-HWC
The best forms of exercise for a healthy aging brain
Vukovic noted that “there are ongoing studies to optimise exercise programs for elderly; however, Pilates is a good starting point for those who are looking to engage their muscles.”
Glatt agreed, adding that “aerobic exercises like cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and balance exercises are particularly beneficial to brain health, in both shared and unique ways.”
“Activities combining physical and cognitive challenges, like dance or tai chi, can be especially effective for certain aspects of brain health,” Glatt said.
Nevertheless, he cautioned that: “While exercise benefits brain health, individual variability due to genetics and baseline health can affect outcomes. Further research is needed to determine the long-term sustainability and optimal exercise types and intensities for different populations.”
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Written by Paul Ian Cross, PhD on May 26, 2024 — Fact checked by Hannah Flynn
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In Conversation: Why exercise is key to living a long and healthy life
What should we do in order to live healthier lives for longer? Research shows there are a few lifestyle interventions that can effectively prolong our life and health span. One of these is exercise, but what kind, and in what combinations, and why does it help add years to our lives? Find out in our latest podcast episode.
Design by Diego Sabogal.
Seemingly since times immemorial, humankind has been, metaphorically speaking, seeking the path that leads to the “Fountain of Youth” — that is ways to ensure a longer, healthier life.
And while we may not yet benefit of any “miracle” medicines or technologies to prolong our life spans well over the hundred-year mark, many recent studies have provided strong evidence in support of the notion that simple, achievable lifestyle changes can help us stay healthy for longer and decrease our risk of premature death.
Research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2023
, for example, suggested that eight healthy habits can slow down biological aging by as much as 6 years.
These habits are related to diet, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding tobacco, maintaining good sleep hygiene, managing cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure, and, no less importantly, staying physically active.
In the latest instalment of our In Conversation podcast, Medical News Today explores the link between exercise and living a long and healthy life, in dialogue with Dr. Borja del Pozo Cruz and Dr. Edwina (Eddie) Brocklesby.
Dr. del Pozo Cruz is principal researcher in Applied Health Sciences at the University of Cadiz in Spain, and adjunct associate professor in the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark.
In collaboration with other researchers, Dr. del Pozo Cruz has conducted various studies exploring the link between different forms of exercise and the risk of death from different causes.
Dr. Brocklesby has gained fame under the nickname “Iron Gran,” as at the age of 72, she was the oldest British woman to complete an Ironman Triathlon. She is also founder and CEO of Silverfit, a not-for-profit organization promoting lifelong fitness.
What types of exercise lower death risk?
In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine
in August 2023, Dr. del Pozo Cruz and his colleagues analyzed data from 500,705 participants followed up for a median period of 10 years to see how different forms of exercise related to a person’s mortality risk.
The study looked at the effect of moderate aerobic physical activity, such as walking or gentle cycling, vigorous aerobic physical activity, such as running, and muscle-strengthening activity, like weight lifting.
Its findings indicated that a balanced combination of all of these forms of exercise worked best for reducing mortality risk.
More specifically, around 75 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, plus more than 150 minutes of vigorous exercise, alongside at least a couple of strength training sessions per week were associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality.
When it came to reducing the risk of death linked to cardiovascular disease specifically, Dr. del Pozo Cruz and his collaborators suggested combining a minimum of 150–225 minutes of moderate physical activity with around 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, and two or more strength training sessions per week.
Dr. Brocklesby, who goes by “Eddie,” is herself an example of the importance of combining different forms of exercise. Indeed, training and participating in a triathlon — which is an endurance multisport race where participants compete in swimming, cycling, and running — involves achieving a balanced “diet” of moderate and vigorous exercise, as well as strength training.
How little exercise is enough?
But what about people who are not nearly as athletic? What is the minimum “amount” of exercise that could help fend off some of the conditions that pose the highest threat to health?
Dr. del Pozo Cruz and his team may also have found an answer to this question. In December 2022, they published the findings to a previous study in the European Heart Journal.
This research suggested that engaging in vigorous exercise for only 2 minutes a day could help slash the risk of death related to cancer or cardiovascular events.
The researchers found that study participants who never engaged in vigorous exercise had a 4% risk of dying within 5 years, but introducing less than 10 minutes of vigorous activity weekly halved this risk. Moreover, their risk of death halved again for those who engaged in at least 60 minutes of exercise per week.
Is any physical activity good?
In our podcast, Dr. del Pozo Cruz emphasized that almost any amount of any form of exercise is better than none, a point reinforced by a new study arguing that any activity at all is better for heart health than a sedentary lifestyle.
However, he also cautioned that physical activity related to chores or to one’s job, as opposed to exercise in a leisure context, may sometimes do more harm than good.
Once again, his idea is supported by recently published research, which found a link between physically demanding occupations and a higher risk of cognitive impairment.
Some of the most common occupations linked to intensive physical activity cited in this research were in nursing and care, retail, and farming, where individuals are on their feet a lot, and often having to deal with stressful situations.
So while all forms of exercise can be good for health, strenuous or intensive physical activity in a work environment could end up compounding the risk of various health conditions.
And even exercise for leisure can affect aspects of physical health — such as joint integrity — particularly later in life. In our podcast, both Dr. del Pozo Cruz and Eddie emphasized the importance of consulting a trusted healthcare provider, who can advise on the best forms of exercise to engage in on an individual basis.
