Exercise proven to help: The role of fitness in preventing Alzheimer’s

Exercise has long been known as one of the essential elements for a healthy lifestyle but new research has revealed it could help with one of the world’s most common diseases, too.

A new study conducted by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro has found a particular hormone that is released through exercise has the potential to stop the debilitating memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s.

The research, which was published in Nature Medicine, uncovered the beneficial properties of irisin – a messenger protein generated by muscle tissue that is carried around the body in the bloodstream.

The team of international scientists found those suffering from Alzheimer’s had lower levels of the protein than an average healthy person. They produced similar results for its protein precursor FNDC5.

For their study scientists conducted tests on mice and analysed memory decline when irisin levels were cut. From here they were able to reverse the effects by restoring the hormone.

The study also found if receptors for the protein were blocked in the mice, exercise no longer benefitted memory.

Although further studies are required to understand exactly how irisin enters and interacts with the brain, researchers believe the new findings could pave the way towards new therapeutic strategies to mitigate cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

The findings follow a major breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research in 2018 that found an existing HIV medication could be used to treat the cognitive condition.

A study by researchers at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in San Diego, published in Nature Journal, probed further into the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease and examined the genetic neurons in the brain that rearrange themselves over a person’s lifetime.

Using new technology, researchers noticed that genes are “mixed and matched” in the brain over time and that one of the genes in this process is linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

For their study researchers analysed brain samples of seven people with Alzheimer’s and six without. This showed them the genetic blueprint of people with Alzheimer’s and how it changes when the disease is developing.

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.