Exercise - Types, Lengths, and Benefits

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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.

Types of Exercise

Aerobic or “Cardio” Exercise – Running, cycling, swimming, rowing, cross-country skiing, etc.

Aerobic refers to a level of exercise where oxygen use meets the energy demands of the body. Aerobic exercise is performed at a moderate level of intensity over a relatively long period of time. For example, running a long distance at a moderate pace is an aerobic exercise, however, sprinting hard for a short distance is not. Aerobic exercise can take many forms: running, walking, hiking, cycling, swimming, rowing, cross-country skiing, roller blading, kayaking, on and on.

Dr Bredesen recommends moderate aerobic exercise in his protocol. In this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HFs0GyIR2M from December 2013, he recommends starting slowly but to incorporate aerobic exercise of at least 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, starting slowly to get your heart rate up without hurting yourself, to around the 70% max heart beat range. See Bredesen Protocol on Exercise.

The benefits of aerobic exercise are many. From a neurological standpoint, this quote was taken from the Wikipedia page Neurobiological effects of physical exercise accessed 16 August 2017

A large body of research in humans has demonstrated that consistent aerobic exercise (e.g., 30 minutes every day) induces persistent improvements in certain cognitive functions, healthy alterations in gene expression in the brain, and beneficial forms of neuroplasticity and behavioral plasticity; some of these long-term effects include: increased neuron growth, increased neurological activity (e.g., c-Fos and BDNF signaling), improved stress coping, enhanced cognitive control of behavior, improved declarative, spatial, and working memory, and structural and functional improvements in brain structures and pathways associated with cognitive control and memory.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] The effects of exercise on cognition have important implications for improving academic performance in children and college students, improving adult productivity, preserving cognitive function in old age, preventing or treating certain neurological disorders, and improving overall quality of life.[1][11][12]

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT or HIT) – Sprint Interval Training, Tabatas, Nitric Oxide Dump

High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT is where one performs a short burst of high-intensity exercise followed by a period of low-intensity activity, then repeating this cycle by going back to a burst of high intensity. There is no universal amount of time to do HIIT, but a routine typically last no more than 30 minutes, and for a non-athlete just working on general fitness, often far less, just a few minutes.

This type of exercise has been gaining in general popularity largely because it’s not a major time commitment and it shouldn’t be done more than three times a week. Plus it is more effective than longer, slower cardio workouts for certain benefits.

Dr Michael Mosely suggests that HIIT (which he refers to as HIT) practiced for just three minutes can reap benefits, particularly with insulin sensitivity. Results do vary, however, based on genetics (not ApoE4) so while 15% of people made huge strides and 20% showed no real improvement. This link tells more: Can three minutes of exercise a week help make you fit?

According to this study, Enhanced Protein Translation Underlies Improved Metabolic and Physical Adaptations to Different Exercise Training Modes in Young and Old Humans published in Cell Metabolism in March 2017, “High-intensity interval training improved age-related decline in muscle mitochondria” and “HIIT revealed a more robust increase in gene transcripts than other exercise modalities, particularly in older adults,…”

Dr Joe Mercola, an osteopathic physician who through his website http://fitness.mercola.com/ discusses alternative medicine approaches, advocates a particular type of HIIT called the Nitric Oxide Dump. He says it is easier than other HIIT practices, requires no equipment, can be done by anyone regardless of fitness level and only takes three minutes two or three times a day. He says controlling Nitric Oxide formation has a number of influences on one’s health, including stimulating the brain. You can read more about this at New exercise dumps nitric oxide, relaxes blood vessels in 3 minutes

Strength training - Weight lifting, resistance training (flex bands, body weight), cross-fit

Just moving: strolling in the park, tai chi, dancing, gardening, etc.

Yoga