Exercises for the brain, how to make the brain work better

Exercise is one of the most powerful ways to make our brains work. Aerobic exercise affects the genes associated with longevity and the “growth hormone” in the brain. Exercise raises levels of this hormone and restores memory in older people by increasing the growth of new cells in a specific area of ​​the brain.

A million years ago, we won the victory because we could overtake and cover the distance more than many other animals. The more we moved, the sharper our brain became. Ultimately, this helped us become modern smart people. And even today, regular physical activity is required for the normal functioning of our brains.

The fewer calories, the healthier the brain. Research confirms this. In January 2009, scientists compared two groups of older people – one cut calorie intake by 30%, and the other was allowed to eat anything and in any quantity. As a result, in the group without dietary restrictions, a slight but pronounced decrease in memory function was observed, while in the subjects on the low-calorie diet, memory improved.

Consumption of about 2000 calories per day for women and 2550 for men is considered the norm. However, today we are far beyond this norm. Largely because of the sugar.

If modern knowledge did not tell us that intellectual stimulation of the brain is good and right for its health, then crosswords, educational courses, visiting museums and even reading would not be so popular.

By making the brain work, we strengthen new neural networks. Just as our muscles gain strength through exercise, the brain develops through intellectual stimulation. It becomes faster and more efficient and can store more information. People with higher levels of education are known to have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. And people with good language skills are less likely to develop brain disease.

This is not about nutritional supplements that help fight free radicals in our body, but about internal antioxidants. In fact, our body is able to produce them itself. And they are ten times more effective than dietary supplements.

Our job is to spur genes to start protecting the brain. Scientists have identified several factors that can activate genes that produce powerful antioxidants. For example, people who consume fish oil are known to have a reduction in damage caused by free radicals. Omega-3 fats, curcumin from turmeric, green tea extract, silymarin from milk thistle, sulforaphane (found in broccoli) and even regular coffee are also useful for these purposes.

One of the most significant discoveries in recent years is that brain diseases are associated with nutrition, in particular, with excess consumption of carbohydrates and a lack of healthy fats in the diet.

Everyone is afraid of fat and cholesterol. But this is the biggest mistake of our time. Because they are the ones that preserve and support the work of the brain. The love for fatty foods has arisen in humans for a reason: it is the secret passion of our brain. But in recent decades, all fatty foods have been declared unhealthy, and we have become a carbohydrate-fearful society.

Indeed, there are fats that have harmful effects on health – these are trans fats. But there are also good fats that help the body thrive, and cholesterol is one of them.

Interestingly, the need of people for carbohydrates is practically zero – we need only a minimal amount of them. But we can’t live long without fat. Unfortunately, many people believe that eating fat and being fat are practically the same thing. In fact, obesity and its metabolic consequences have almost nothing to do with the consumption of healthy fats, they are completely related to our addiction to carbohydrates.

One 2005 study compared the waist-to-hip ratios of over 100 people to structural changes in their brains. The authors wanted to find out if there is a connection between the structure of the brain and the volume of the human abdomen. They got amazing results: the larger the waist-to-hip ratio (that is, the larger the belly), the smaller the brain’s memory center – the hippocampus.

When the hippocampus shrinks, memory decreases. With every extra pound of your body, your brain gets a little smaller. Paradoxically, the larger the organism becomes, the smaller its main organ becomes.

If you sleep poorly and restlessly, your mental capacity declines steadily. Christine Yoffe, a psychiatrist at the University of California, studies people at risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. In her clinic for memory disorders, she found a common denominator for the most common patient complaints – it is difficult for all of them to fall asleep and not wake up during the night.

Patients report that they feel tired throughout the day and have to take short sleep breaks. When Joffe conducted several studies looking at more than 1300 adults over 75 over a five-year period, she noted that people with sleep-disordered breathing, or sleep apnea, were twice as likely to develop dementia. Patients suffering from disturbances in the natural circadian rhythm, or those who often woke up in the middle of the night, were also at increased risk.