Some of the most effective strength-training exercises for whole-body strength emphasize the muscles in the lower body. When you think of kick-butt lower body exercises, the squat, deadlift, and lunge may come to mind. These are all compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously. These exercises burn more calories and teach your muscles how to work together more efficiently as a unit. But a study also shows that exercises that work the leg muscles may be the key to preserving brain and nervous system health.
Does Leg Strength Correlate with Brain Health?
The research was carried out in mice, but it has implications for humans too. For the study, researchers prevented mice from using their back legs for 28 days but allowed them full use of their front legs. The mice ate a standard diet and didn’t show signs of anxiety or stress during the study. They continued to carry out their daily activities despite not having the use of their hind legs.
At the end of the 28-day study, researchers look at an area of the brain in the mice called the sub-ventricular zone, a portion of the brain where stem cells that produce new nerve cells are. When a person sustains a brain injury, the sub-ventricular zone houses the stem cells that help the brain repair. The number of stem cells in this region of the brain goes down with age. This may explain the negative effects aging has on the brain – there aren’t enough stem cells around to make new nerve cells.
What were the results of the study? When the mice weren’t allowed to use their hind legs, the number of stem cells dedicated to producing new nerve cells or neurons dropped by 70%. Also, stem cells that produce neurons and oligodendrocytes, a type of insulating cell, didn’t mature as much when the mice couldn’t exercise or use their hind legs.
This study shows how important weight-bearing exercise and exercise that uses the leg muscles is for producing cells that support brain and cognitive health. As the researchers point out, an exercise that uses leg muscles stimulates the brain in a way that causes new neurons, or nerve cells, to form from stem cells. They also point out that weight-bearing exercise enhances this process the most. So, make sure you’re doing some form of weight-bearing exercise and working your leg muscles regularly.
The research shows that using the legs, particularly in weight-bearing exercise, sends signals to the brain that are vital for making healthy nerve cells, essential for the brain and nervous system. Cutting back on exercise makes it difficult for the body to produce new nerve cells – some of the building blocks that help us handle stress and adapt to life’s challenges and changes.
Weight Training May Improve Brain Health Too
When you think about boosting the health of your brain, aerobic exercise may come to mind, but weight training can serve you well. Researchers at the University of Sydney conducted a study on older people with mild cognitive impairment. (MCI) Mild cognitive impairment is a form of “benign” forgetfulness, meaning it’s not as severe as the memory changes that people with Alzheimer’s disease experience, and only modestly affects an individual’s quality of life. However, people with MCI are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than people who don’t have this condition.
The study assigned the subjects to either strength training, computerized brain training, or a combination of both for 6 months. Then, they switched back to their normal activities for a year. Those who strength trained did 2 to 3 sessions weekly for 90 minutes per week. During the 18-month study, the researchers used MRI brain scanning to look at changes to the hippocampus, a portion of the brain involved with memory and cognition.
The results? Subjects who strength trained enjoyed less degeneration in certain regions of the hippocampus. Plus, the strength training group experienced improvements in cognitive performance. In addition, the improvements persisted for up to 12 months even after the subjects stopped training. Further research will be needed to determine exactly how long the benefits last. So, strength training may provide benefits for brain health that last for a while even after you stop. But why would you want to?
Other Tips for Keeping Your Brain Healthy
- Avoid head injury. (Wear a helmet when biking)
- Add some omega-3s to your diet.
- Stimulate your brain by learning new things
- Engage in social activity. (Don’t be isolated)
- Get at least 7 hours of quality sleep each night.
- Have strategies for managing stress, like yoga or meditation.
- Don’t smoke and limit the use of alcohol
- Manage blood lipids, blood sugar, and blood pressure
- Follow a traditional Mediterranean diet
- Correct hearing loss. It’s a risk factor for cognitive decline.
- Spend time in nature.
The Bottom Line
Resistance training, along with aerobic exercise, is also a brain booster and may help delay brain aging. Although the brain health benefits of strength training may last for a while after stopping training, it’s better for your health to be consistent. Challenge yourself by using progressive overload, so you don’t reach a plateau.
Be sure to include a variety of compound exercises that emphasize the large muscle groups in your lower body. Based on the research, weight bearing exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges, where you’re standing, are more effective for boosting brain health than exercises like seated leg extensions or weight training machines.
References:
- “Leg exercise is critical to brain and nervous system health: In a new take on the exercise truism, ‘use it, or lose it,’ researchers show neurological health is an interactive relationship with our muscles and our world.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 May 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180523080214.htm>.
- NeuroImage: Clinical. Volume 25, 2020, 102182
- Current Opinion in Pharmacology. Volume 50, February 2020, Pages 1-8.
- edu.au. “Strength training can help protect the brain from degeneration”
- “Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory ….” 09 Apr. 2014, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110.
- Cabral DF, Rice J, Morris TP, Rundek T, Pascual-Leone A, Gomes-Osman J. Exercise for Brain Health: An Investigation into the Underlying Mechanisms Guided by Dose. Neurotherapeutics. 2019 Jul;16(3):580-599. doi: 10.1007/s13311-019-00749-w. PMID: 31197642; PMCID: PMC6694330.
Related Articles By Cathe:
Physical Exercise Improves Brain Health but Engaging Your Brain During Exercise is Even Better
Exercise is Good for Your Brain but What Type is Best?
Exercise and Brain Health: Does Working Out Improve Brain Function?
How High-Intensity Exercise Makes Your Brain More Efficient
What Goes on in the Brain of People Who Hate to Exercise?
Exercise is Good for Your Brain as Long as You Make It a Habit
Brain Health, Body Weight and Exercise
A Simple Exercise That Measures Brain Health
5 Brain-Boosting Chemicals Released During Exercise
