Exercise - Types, Lengths, and Benefits

There is no researched-based consensus as to the best type(s) of exercise or its length of practice for cognitive health. However, it is known that exercise is good for the brain as well as the body. This page attempts to broadly address the different types of exercise with their benefits to assist an individual in determining a regimen that best meets their needs.

Why ApoE4s should Exercise

Exercise is good for many reasons, but especially APOE4s.

• It can reduce, even reverse, hippocampal atrophy in the brain. The hippocampus is part of the brain that is the center for emotion, memory and the autonomic nervous system.
• Exercise increases BDNF – Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor. BDNF is the most active neurotrophin. Neurotrophins induce survival, development and function of neurons.
• Increases insulin sensitivity, which benefits the body all over, but is particularly critical in the brain. The brain needs insulin, so insulin sensitivity is imperative for healthy cognition. It has been concluded that basically everyone who has Alzheimer’s has brain insulin resistance, whether or not they have insulin resistance elsewhere in the body. SeeInsulin Resistance
• When done regularly, over a long time incorporating allowances for recovery, exercise lowers inflammation. Low levels of inflammation correspond with maintaining cognitive function and longevity.
• Aids mitochondrial health. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. The brain is highly dependent on mitochondrial activity for energy production from glucose. ApoE4 has been found to have detrimental effects on mitochondria, but exercise boosts mitochondria.
• Exercise works hand in hand with diet to encourage ketosis providing an alternative source of energy (ketones) for the brain. The brain prefers to use glucose for energy, but in Alzheimer’s this energy source is impaired and this impairment begins decades before symptoms manifest. Ketosis enables a brain to easily switch between energy sources thus staving off cognitive impairment. See Ketosis
• Can enhance sleep. Good, quality sleep is very important for ApoE4s. According to this study, Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain “The restorative function of sleep may be a consequence of the enhanced removal of potentially neurotoxic waste products that accumulate in the awake central nervous system.” In other words, sleep takes out the brain’s trash.
• Can reduce stress. Stress affects the brain with its many nerve connections. In this article, Exercise Fuels the Brain’s Stress Buffers The American Psychological Association says exercise gives the body a chance to practice dealing with stress, thereby enhancing its ability to respond to it. It forces the body's physiological systems: cardiovascular, renal, muscular, central and sympathetic nervous systems — all of which are involved in the stress response — to communicate much more closely than usual. This workout of the body's communication system enables our bodies to be more efficient in dealing with stress.
• Exercise helps keep your fat cells fit. Fat cells aren’t merely storage units and fat isn’t merely a reserve source of body energy. Fat is a necessary part of our body, called adipose tissue and this tissue is comparable to an organ that serves important body functions. Exercise aids with the blood flow and oxygen delivery to fat cells. This helps hold inflammation at bay which occurs in the fat cells with insulin resistance. And as discussed above and in Insulin Resistance there is a strong link between insulin resistance and Alzheimer’s Disease.