Without stress and sweat Already light physical activities keep the brain fit

Even a minimum of training improves the memory function

Even a minimum of sport is good for our health. Scientific research has shown that even moderate regular exercise can help reduce cardiovascular mortality. In addition, light physical activities help to keep the brain fit, as shown in a study.

Regular exercise keeps us healthy

Health experts call again and again to overcome the moan of movement and to do sports. After all, regular exercise helps to strengthen the body and protect against disease. It has long been known that physical fitness not only keeps the heart young, but also the brain. And for that it is not even necessary to indulge in sweaty training. As researchers have now discovered, the brain already benefits from a minimum of physical activity.

In a new study it has been shown that even a minimum of exercise helps to keep the brain fit and to improve the memory function. (Image: upixa / fotolia.com)

Reduce dementia risk

It is often advised to exercise regularly to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's in old age.

Obviously, it should not be too much, as a study by British scientists showed that intense exercise could even promote the development of dementia.

By contrast, mild exercise is effective against dementia, as German experts recently reported.

And even in a new study, there is evidence that even light training keeps the brain fit and improves memory function.

Even light training sessions promote the brain

People who do some yoga or tai chi probably remember where to put their keys.

As researchers from the University of California at Irvine (UCI) and the Japanese University of Tsukuba have found, even very light training sessions increase the connectivity between parts of the brain responsible for memory formation and storage.

As stated in a statement from the US university, the scientists discovered in a study of 36 healthy young adults that a single 10-minute period of mild exertion can bring significant cognitive benefits.

Using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging, the team examined the subjects' brains shortly after the training sessions and saw a better connection between the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex.

The results of the study have now been published in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences".

Data collection for the study took place in Japan and the analysis was conducted in both Japan and Irvine, California.

The study was led by UCI Professor Michael Yassa and Hideaki Soya, Professor of Health and Sports Science at the University of Tsukuba.

Positive results within ten minutes

"The hippocampus is crucial to creating new memories; it is one of the first brain regions to deteriorate with age - and much more so in Alzheimer's disease, "said co-leader of the study, UCI Professor Michael Yassa.

"Improving the function of the hippocampus is very promising to improve memory in everyday life."

Yassa says earlier research has focused on how sport promotes the generation of new brain cells in memory regions.

This has not been disregarded in the current study, but above all the increased communication between memory-focused parts of the brain has been observed.

"What we observed was that these 10-minute workouts showed results immediately thereafter," says Yassa.

Improvement of memory

You can do a lot with just a little physical activity, Yassa emphasized. "It's encouraging to see more people follow their exercise habits - for example, by monitoring the number of steps they take," the researcher said.

"Even short breaks during the day that are used for walking can have a significant impact on improving memory and perception."

Yassa and his colleagues at UCI and Tsukuba University are expanding their research by testing older adults at higher risk of age-related mental impairment.

They want to perform long-term interventions to see if regular, short, light exercises done daily over several weeks or months will have a positive effect on the structure and function of the brain.

"It's obvious that it's very important to understand which exercise concept works best in the elderly, so we can make recommendations to avert cognitive decline," Yassa said. (Ad)