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Raji Cyrus/UCLA
A profile MRI of the brain with color shaded areas corresponding to areas of increased gray matter volume in active people. The blue crosshairs point to increased volume in the hippocampus with more calories burned per week. The hippocampus is the key memory and learning center of the brain.
Seniors who fit in the most daily physical activity – from raking leaves to dancing – can have more gray matter in important brain regions, researchers reported on Monday.
The scientists have images that show people who were the most active had 5 percent more gray matter than people who were the least active. Having more little gray brain cells translates into a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, other studies have shown.
“People really want to know what they can do to reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Cyrus Raji of the University of California in Los Angeles, who presented his team’s findings to a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
“This shows it is easier than you think.”
Raji’s team looked at the records of 876 adults, who were recruited into a larger study on heart health starting in 1989. They all got magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans in 1998 and 1999, when they were on average 78 years old, and filled out detailed questionnaires on exercise and other types of activity.
Most of them were a little overweight – with a body mass index or BMI of 27. People with BMIs above 25 are considered overweight and at 30 they are considered clinically obese.
The researchers found a huge difference in the amount of activity people reported. They were asked about everything from cycling to yard work, dancing and bicycle riding.
“The most active burned 3,434 calories per week (an extra 500 calories per day on average) compared to those in the bottom percentile who only burned 348 calories per week [through activities],” Raji said. “The most active had 5 percent more gray matter volume than the least active. That's a big number when you think about the tremendous biological forces that have to be at work for brain volume to change at all.”
And the MRIs showed the differences were in areas of the brain like the hippocampus, which is heavily damaged in Alzheimer’s disease.
“By strengthening this area, an active lifestyle can reduce risk for Alzheimer's,” Raji said. "Virtually all of the physical activities examined in this study are some variation of aerobic physical activity, which we know from other work can improve cerebral blood flow and strengthen neuronal connections.”
Money is limited for new medical research, so the UCLA team went through the records from another study -- that explains why some of the data is old. "This is the largest study of its kind that has ever been done," Raji said.
But even older data can be a gold mine for researchers. To log exercise, the volunteers wrote down all the activities they could remember over a two-week period. Some went back and filled out questionnaires five years later, so Raji's team could make some comparisons.
"We found that individuals who increased calories burned over five years also had more gray matter volume," Raji said.
Raji isn't sure how some people only managed to burn off 348 extra calories a week, but said they may have been ill or even bedridden.
When they looked in more detail at the surveys, the researchers noted that it was the people who managed to work exercise into their daily lives who racked up the most weekly calories. So unless people enjoy standard “exercise” such as running, they should find something they like and are likely to stick to, said Raji.
“No pharmaceutical drug on the market has been shown to have these effects on the brain -- not a single drug,” said Raji. And exercise is available to anyone. “And it doesn’t cost anything,” he said.
In the first 10 years of the study, 97 people developed Alzheimer’s, and just about a quarter of them were in the top 25 percent of exercisers. Raji said the disease was detected very early in this study because the volunteers were being studied so intensely. “Most had not yet been diagnosed by their primary care physicians,” he said.
Now the team is going to go through the surveys to see if the people who had the most gray matter were the least likely to develop Alzheimer’s – or if the brain disease progressed more slowly in those with the most gray matter. And they want to follow up with as many of the volunteers as possible to see how they have fared.
“I really do believe that we have strong evidence that physical activity can be a way to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” Raji said.
How many calories can you burn doing various activities? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a calculator here. An hour of dancing can burn 330 calories an hour while walking burns about 280 calories an hour.
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Umm the figure shows apparent differences in the insula, although the crosshairs are centred over the hippocampus where there are no differences there on the figure.
I know, right?
My study; get old - @!$%# happens.
They got MRI's in 1998, when the average age was 78yo - that makes their current average age 94yo. My guess is; that most of these people are already dead. It's not natural to be over 80yo - how about living an active life while you are young, and passing away before you burden your family?
I'm 57yo - I have no problem with going right now - why - because I've already lived a full life.
Not "natural" to be over 80 years old? Bullpucky. Is is far more "natural" these days to edge into the 90s with healthy activities, and, yes, leading a healthy life when younger... even the 40s, and 50s. lol
Try it. You'll like it when you are 82 or more.
Soon exercise will be outlawed until the medical-industrial-insurance complex can find a way to make money from it. Exercising will circumvent the profit model of the industry so it must be banned. Same with food.
Aside from the numbers not really suggesting a significance, the study would be meaningless anyway for many middle-aged folks as well as seniors because we can't exercise. I was an avid runner and swimmer before the days of supportive running shoes (we ran miles and miles in keds, yikes!) and comfortable, breathable "active wear". As a result, I blew out my knees, foot, shoulder, and to a lesser extent, my back. Before the younger people pipe in with all of their helpful suggestions, I've been to many, many doctors, physical therapists and trainors to no avail. I always say " Name an exercise and I'll name the doctor that forbids it"
I'm hoping that as we baby boomers age there will be more research into exercise that can circumvent knees without cartilage and ligaments and with displaced and chipped patellas, shoulders with scar tissue that constantly tears, chronic multiple foot structure issues, and osteoarthritis. I think it's possible to find a way to work muscles with all of these problems, but we haven't done the research yet.
Of couse, as long as doctors and pharma companies don't make money from it, the longer it will take for the research to be done. There are so many of us who used to be athletic who are desparate to get back to exercise (my solution is to just keep reinjuring) that there is a huge void in the exercise industry market that could be very lucrative for some enterprising members of the sports training/medicine community.
"To log exercise, the volunteers wrote down all the activities they could remember over a two-week period."
Well, if they had Alzheimer's, would they remember exercising? Just kidding.
I once read an article that quoted a doctor who said that "exercise is the closest to a silver bullet that medicine has." I believe it. Been exercising since 1985, and nothing is ever wrong with me. Ever. Same with my exercise partners. Can't say that about other, more sedentary friends my age (early to mid 50s.)
As well, my parents, 81 and 86 years old, are very active. They also do a LOT of traveling. Brain stimulation + physical activity. You'd guess them to be a decade younger, at least.
I saw the same cross-section in the CDC episode of The Walking Dead...
hmm okay. So the top 25% of the exercisers were about 25% of the people that developed Alzheimer's... So the study didn't really matter. Plus all these people are living in the same place eating the same diet for the most part. Nothing should be conclusive from this study. Why do they half ass these things so much...
Scientists shouldn't rush to make conclusions about the brain. As much as we want to believe we understand how it works...we don't know enough.
1 in 4 of the top exercisers happened to be 1 in 4 of the people who got Alzheimer's. That doesn't sound like a significant effect to me.
no-laan, is because THEYYYYYY getts paid to write bull-shyttttty articles jus as much as a good/true one, ... but itzz less wurkkkk fer'um to write BOGUS BULL-CRAPPPP.
Do you have any idea, any sense at all, just how foolish you come across writing like that? You must be drunk, or high, or both.
I must use my mom as an example and my own experience as well. But first, the article touting physical energy is, I think, missing the boat. All the scientists in the world cannot refute another kind of activity, available to too many of us who cannot physically rake leaves or dance et al.
The 800 individuals examined, although they are said to have joined a larger group, is an extremely small sample to draw such large conclusions. My mother is 82 years old, and she has osteoarthritis. She says she is blessed that it is not rheumatoid and that although osteo limits her physical activities, she "exercises" a different way and thinks all seniors should try it. It should be mentioned she believes this categorically, and refuses to take some of the pain pills like hydrocodone because she feels that any additive medication for pain will numb the brain.
Very simply, her activity is that she uses her brain far more than many seem to use it today ( ... no insults intended... much ;). She reads real books voraciously, avoids staring glassy-eyed for current TeeVee, and belongs to a group which debates issues in the news.
I try to emulate her although my own free-lance job is demanding. Yet, even my work (writing and editing) falls in the same categories I mention above.
The greatest bastion against "senility," in my opinion, is keeping the brain active. Period.
The biggest cells in the brain, the Purkinje's, which have a quarter million synapses, plus the entire back half of the brain, are devoted to analyzing, storing, and retrieving "muscle memory".
Blocked access to these areas, or damage to the Purkinje's, are major causes of movement disorders.
For someone to say "keeping an active mind" is enough, is ignoring 50% of their brain, devoted to physical activity.
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With page setup like this I think they should study the reporter's or writer's brain, come on try to think how the setup looks when you place your ads. I don't think I could take you seriously.
Baloney.... I'm old, I don't excercise and....damn, I forgot what I wanted to say....
If a quarter of the people in the study who developed Alzheimer's were in the top 25% of exercisers, doesn't that mean that exercise didn't make a difference as to whether they developed the disease or not? This suggests only that it can potentially reduce Alzheimer's.
Yeah...that math is fuzzy. 25% of the folk that developed Alz (~24 people) were in the top 25% of the people who exercise...WTF?
What a moronic study as others have pointed out-having extra gray matter obviously didn't matter in this study-as someone who exercises a lot, it's pretty clear that although there may be multiple benefits from exercise, reducing the risk of Alzheimer's by any significant rate is not one of them.
Moderate exercise may be already well known for improve physical and mental health, increase concentration, intelligence and energy level.
We weren't meant to watch TV, 24/7 or to sit at a desk all day long!
OK quit doing all these kinds of studies and focus on getting a cure duh!
Sex is also an important factor..
Most of these studies and reports are expensive (read lucartive) ways of saying that a biological orangism (human or otherwise) is physically and mentally healthier when they move their bodies and consume high quality fuels\foods. The more they use the body and the better the food the better the results.
I don't know how much stock I'd put into brain scans unless they did before and after brain scans of the same individuals prior to and after several years or exercise or inactivity.
Just because people who exercise show more gray matter could also mean that people that already have more gray matter in those areas are naturally inclined to be the people who tend to exercise regularly. It seems that people with clearer heads and possibly healthier brains from a lifetime of better diet and exercise would see the sense and results of continued exercise more than people who felt they were just aging normally with loss of muscle and mental capacity.
Regardless of this study's conclusions, more muscle mass, higher bone density, better balance, and improved blood flow are proven results of exercise including weight training in older people. So, any brain in a healthier older person in a regular exercise program will have better blood and oxygen flow to the brain, lower risks of injuries due to falls, and lower chances of clots and other issues that should improve their general health and longevity. We all have some predispositions to medical issues based on our genes and we all die, but a few or possibly several extra years of life or life with less severe disabilities due to being active is a choice we can make individually. To me, it's worth it. To others, they would rather take their chances and spend most of their time being inactive.
Several nights a week I'm on the treadmill or lifting weights or working out to try to retain and not lose the strength and muscle mass I have. And no I'm not a bodybuilder. I'm stronger than average, but at middle age that doesn't take a lot. My wife thinks I'm crazy to spend several hours a week working up a sweat and prefers sitting and reading or watching TV all night. Exercising also gives me more energy and I need less sleep, so I still end up still having plenty of reading and relaxing time.
brainwashedsincebirth, the reason for your destroyed knees is probably the running you did over a long period of time; power-walking that same distance would have spared your knees the constant pounding as you landed after each step. but swimming should still be possible for you - assuming you can avoid the competitive mode that forces you to go for speed instead of comfortable movement. as an 80-year-old i still swim a mile non-stop but do so gently and at a comfortable pace. it works. not only do i feel physically energized after a swim, but i do my best thinking while i'm swimming - often coming up with solutions to issues that evaded me on dry ground. try it and good luck!
brainwashedsincebirth, the reason for your destroyed knees is probably the running you did over a long period of time; power-walking that same distance would have spared your knees the constant pounding as you landed after each step. but swimming should still be possible for you - assuming you can avoid the competitive mode that forces you to go for speed instead of comfortable movement. as an 80-year-old i still swim a mile non-stop but do so gently and at a comfortable pace. it works. not only do i feel physically energized after a swim, but i do my best thinking while i'm swimming - often coming up with solutions to issues that evaded me on dry ground. try it and good luck!
brainwashedsincebirth, the reason for your destroyed knees is probably the running you did over a long period of time; power-walking that same distance would have spared your knees the constant pounding as you landed after each step. but swimming should still be possible for you - assuming you can avoid the competitive mode that forces you to go for speed instead of comfortable movement. as an 80-year-old i still swim a mile non-stop but do so gently and at a comfortable pace. it works. not only do i feel physically energized after a swim, but i do my best thinking while i'm swimming - often coming up with solutions to issues that evaded me on dry ground. try it and good luck!
brainwashedsincebirth, the reason for your destroyed knees is probably the running you did over a long period of time; power-walking that same distance would have spared your knees the constant pounding as you landed after each step. but swimming should still be possible for you - assuming you can avoid the competitive mode that forces you to go for speed instead of comfortable movement. as an 80-year-old i still swim a mile non-stop but do so gently and at a comfortable pace. it works. not only do i feel physically energized after a swim, but i do my best thinking while i'm swimming - often coming up with solutions to issues that evaded me on dry ground. try it and good luck!
Hehehe....I exercise everyday. That means I do be smarter than you!
brainwashedsincebirth, the reason for your destroyed knees is probably the running you did over a long period of time; power-walking that same distance would have spared your knees the constant pounding as you landed after each step. but swimming should still be possible for you - assuming you can avoid the competitive mode that forces you to go for speed instead of comfortable movement. as an 80-year-old i still swim a mile non-stop but do so gently and at a comfortable pace. it works. not only do i feel physically energized after a swim, but i do my best thinking while i'm swimming - often coming up with solutions to issues that evaded me on dry ground. try it and good luck!
i apologize for the quadruplicate appearances of my comment. there seemed to be a glitch at the site that prevented confirmation of the comment being received, so i made several additional efforts to post it. and apparently all of them made it, but i can't find any link to delete the extras.
Just. Keep. Moving. That's been my motto since I almost died 13 years ago from a very serious illness. Before that, I was mildyly active, full of excuses, and in a cycle of hurt or sick equals less movement equals more hurt or sick. Since then, I just don't let a single excuse stop me. Even when I've been injured, there is something I can do. I have a long list of injuries sustained from being beaten as a child (mainly spine - kciked in the back and punched in the side of the head). I have been unable to walk a few times, and thus couldn't make it to the gym. But, even lying on the floor (beds are too soft when my back acts up), I could stretch and work upper body - small motions, keep range of motion as much as possible in anything that didn't hurt. When I have had pelvis, leg, or knee injuries, you'd find me in a pool, pt, or using whatever machines I could at the gym. When I'm not injured, I'm at the gym, running or hiking 5-6 days a week. The ONLY times I have trouble are when I stop moving. Every one of my back flare-ups is directly related to me "taking it easy" or "taking a break and slowing down" for even a week or two. People criticize me for pushing too hard or being too determined. I just say thank you. They have no idea what kind of life I know I would have if I stopped.
Once again another over funded study by a bunch of scientists that shows proper diet and exercise is good for you. People always want the easy fix, a pill, 10 minute super exercise or a special diet they can drop in 6 weeks.