Healing Through Exercise: Scientifically Proven Ways to Prevent and Overcome Illness and Lengthen Your Life by Jörg Blech Page B
Authors: Jörg Blech
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all parts of the brain equally. Although the blood supply is even reduced in some areas, it is greatly increased in others—which indicates that the bloodstream specifically transports nutrients and oxygen to certain brain areas. Insulin-like growth factor is among the substances taken up by nerve cells in these areas, making the cells excitable. Also, after just 30 minutes of running, certain proteins are produced in greater numbers within the nerve cells in some brain areas. And after running over a period of three months on treadmills, rats showed a distinct pattern: many genes and proteins critical for the functioning of the synapses between neurons and for the plasticity were activated. 2
The proteins’ nerve growth factor (NGF) and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are also produced in great quantities in the brain when the body is exercising, and both act like brain fertilizers: if their levels are high, the nerve cells luxuriate. Furthermore, the blood level of the amino acid tryptophan rises in response to physical training. Tryptophan then leads to an increased production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Finally, endorphins are also elevated by physical activity, and both substances act as mood enhancers. Doctors can use these beneficial brain chemicals by prescribing regular physical activity for depressed patients.
Physical activity not only enriches chemistry in the gray matter; it also alters the structure of the brain. First, exercise promotes the production of new nerve cells in the hippocampus. (We’ll see later how much this fountain of youth influences our mental well-being and power.) Second, exercise creates new synapses, thereby establishing and maintaining the vast network of connected nerve cells in the brain. These many effects help optimize the intellectual development of children.
Surveys in preschools and elementary schools have confirmed this direct link. One trial in Cologne included 600 children from 12 elementary schools. The students were asked to run for six minutes, and the researchers documented the distance they covered. Another test concerned physical coordination. The children were encouraged to walk backward, to jump on one leg, and to move around a curve using crossover steps. A further test involved sorting and labeling certain symbols according to their importance. This measures the ability to pay attention, a fundamental cognitive skill.
The results: performance in the six-minute run did not actually correlate with results in the cognitive test. However, physical coordination was clearly linked to cleverness. The students with above-average motor activity were also superior in their ability to concentrate. Thus physical coordination and mental ability may reside in the same realm of the brain.
But how could that be? The researchers who carried out the study think it might be because the two skills are represented in overlapping brain areas. Thus activating certain parts of the brain by “motor activities ‘trains’ them possibly in such a way that they also function better in other situations, for example during work requiring mental concentration.” 3
Researchers from the International University in Bremen tested 85 boys and girls ages four to six and asked them to perform seven different tasks involving strength, physical flexibility, speed, and coordination. A further test measured their cognitive skills: the children had to spot certain differences in pictures, which measured their attention spans, memory, nonverbal intelligence, and other cognitive capabilities.
These results also show that cognitive and motor skills are connected. Well-coordinated children achieved above-average results in the picture test. These findings underline that the two kinds of development go hand in hand: The more time spent skipping rope, playing hopscotch, riding bicycles, climbing, walking to school, practicing gymnastics, and playing outdoors, the better. Claudia
The proteins’ nerve growth factor (NGF) and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are also produced in great quantities in the brain when the body is exercising, and both act like brain fertilizers: if their levels are high, the nerve cells luxuriate. Furthermore, the blood level of the amino acid tryptophan rises in response to physical training. Tryptophan then leads to an increased production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Finally, endorphins are also elevated by physical activity, and both substances act as mood enhancers. Doctors can use these beneficial brain chemicals by prescribing regular physical activity for depressed patients.
Physical activity not only enriches chemistry in the gray matter; it also alters the structure of the brain. First, exercise promotes the production of new nerve cells in the hippocampus. (We’ll see later how much this fountain of youth influences our mental well-being and power.) Second, exercise creates new synapses, thereby establishing and maintaining the vast network of connected nerve cells in the brain. These many effects help optimize the intellectual development of children.
Surveys in preschools and elementary schools have confirmed this direct link. One trial in Cologne included 600 children from 12 elementary schools. The students were asked to run for six minutes, and the researchers documented the distance they covered. Another test concerned physical coordination. The children were encouraged to walk backward, to jump on one leg, and to move around a curve using crossover steps. A further test involved sorting and labeling certain symbols according to their importance. This measures the ability to pay attention, a fundamental cognitive skill.
The results: performance in the six-minute run did not actually correlate with results in the cognitive test. However, physical coordination was clearly linked to cleverness. The students with above-average motor activity were also superior in their ability to concentrate. Thus physical coordination and mental ability may reside in the same realm of the brain.
But how could that be? The researchers who carried out the study think it might be because the two skills are represented in overlapping brain areas. Thus activating certain parts of the brain by “motor activities ‘trains’ them possibly in such a way that they also function better in other situations, for example during work requiring mental concentration.” 3
Researchers from the International University in Bremen tested 85 boys and girls ages four to six and asked them to perform seven different tasks involving strength, physical flexibility, speed, and coordination. A further test measured their cognitive skills: the children had to spot certain differences in pictures, which measured their attention spans, memory, nonverbal intelligence, and other cognitive capabilities.
These results also show that cognitive and motor skills are connected. Well-coordinated children achieved above-average results in the picture test. These findings underline that the two kinds of development go hand in hand: The more time spent skipping rope, playing hopscotch, riding bicycles, climbing, walking to school, practicing gymnastics, and playing outdoors, the better. Claudia
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