The Many Benefits of an Active Lifestyle

It's no surprise that exercising is good for the entire body. Its benefits range from reducing fat and cholesterol levels to alleviating depression, and newer benefits of exercising are just coming to light. Dr. Art Kramer from the University of Illinois talked at Loyola University Chicago about the benefits of an active lifestyle. One of the topics Dr. Kramer emphasized was that the age at which one starts exercising is not important. He used the example of Olga Kolteko, a 91 year old Olympic track and field star who did not start exercising until she was in her 70s. She now holds 23 world records. In his own project, even those who had never exercised before showed steady improvement in their overall health. He briefly touched on the potential impact of exercise and its role in reducing symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. 

One publication by a team of scientists out of the University of Tsukuba in Japan, shed light on another benefit of exercising which could have underlying links to explain why exercising can relieve symptoms of Parkinson's Disease as well as Alzheimer's Disease. The project focused on studying the relationship between exercise and levels of glycogen in rat brains. Glycogen stores are used as a source of energy in the brain. In their study, the scientists used male rats and measured brain glycogen levels before and after the rats were subject to moderate-intensity running on a treadmill. 

Their testing showed that prolonged activity caused a significant loss of glycogen, especially from areas like the frontal cortex and the hippocampus. After each session on the treadmill, the rats were fed and their glycogen levels were remeasured. The results indicated that the brain had overcompensated and the glycogen levels after exercise were 60 percent higher than before their workout. Interestingly, these high levels of glycogen were temporary if the rats were not subject to exercise on a routine basis, falling to baseline levels after 24 hours. In rats that ran for four weeks or more on a regular basis, however, the higher levels of glycogen levels became increasingly permanent. The more active rats had consistently higher levels of glycogen in their brains compared to the control rats that did not exercise. 

These findings indicate that regular exercise can improve brain metabolism and increase the amount of available energy stores in the brain. More studies will need to be done before determining whether the increase in brain metabolism can explain the relief in symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases. But in the meantime, one thing is certain: exercise helps not only maintain one's body but also the mind. 

References: 

Grierson, Bruce. "The Incredible Flying Nonagenarian." Newyorktimes.com. The New York Times, 25 Nov. 2010. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

Reynolds, Gretchen. "How Exercise Fuels the Brain." Newyorktimes.com. The New York Times, 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.