Sport Also Moves Your Neurons
Science has been able to show that physical activity acts directly on brain function and prevents its alterations.
It is amply proven that a regular practice of sport can reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular diseases. But in addition, sport has enormous benefits on our neurons.
Every time we exercise our muscles, we are sending a series of chemicals to the brain. Among them, IGF-1, which when it reaches the brain takes over, so to speak, the rest, and its activity impacts the so-called “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” (BDNF).
It is a protein that, apart from being a growth factor, acts as a neurotransmitter, that is, it helps cells communicate with each other.
Sport as a preventive action
BDNF is implicit in almost all activities that lead to complex thinking. If we block BDNF, we block the learning and memory process. Hence, in diseases such as Alzheimer’s, not exercising is considered a risk factor.
The de fi ciency of physical activity is related not only to neurodegenerative diseases but also to mood disorders such as depression.
Exercises that do work
We are not talking about increasing the size of our muscles by doing weights in the gym. On the contrary: aerobic exercises, such as running, swimming or playing soccer, in which coordination and thinking are used, are the most important for the care of our brain.
Of course, it is also essential to eat a healthy diet with an abundance of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, which act on gene expression.
