9 ms·

Exercise as a Preventive or Disease-Modifying Treatment for Dementia Brain Aging

140 points by todd8 9y ago

notadoc 9y ago
Exercise is good for nearly everything. We evolved to be active, not to be sedentary. The more you can move, the better.
- arwhatever 9y ago
  Hopefully we evolve to be sedentary here pretty quickly.
  - pm90 9y ago
    What does that even mean? Its not like evolution did some magics that we become better with exercise. Our bodies are trained by actual physical exertions, which are not possible if one is sedentary.
    - bluGill 9y ago
      Humans generally are more valued for doing desk jobs vs physical jobs today. You can survive doing physical labor, but it will be a low paid job. The jobs where you sit behind a desk and your only exercise is pushing a keyboard/mouse are much higher paying, and more stable. As such it is an evolutionary advantage to sedentary today: you are more likely to be able to afford food, and since you are not active you need less of it. The above might sound good, it won't work that way. Exercise hard or be a couch potato - either way your DNA is not a dead end. Either way you get enough food for your and your kids. You will have more luxuries from the sedentary life, but those are not things evolution cares about. There are other shortcuts. Bio engineering is promising. There are lots of other advances in medicine. Any of them could solve the problems of sedentary life in the future. Or maybe not, we don't know what the limits of each is.
      - jrowley 9y ago
        Only a few humans can get rich with physical jobs, e.g. Stef Curry with his $200 million, 5 year contract.
  - notadoc 9y ago
    Give it another million years or so, assuming humans last that long.
  - woodandsteel 9y ago
    I don't think that would work very well. The problem is the bad health effects of inactivity usually don't really kick in and effect morbidity until after the reproductive years.
- js2 9y ago
  The more you can move, the better. I've done a 24 hr foot race, a 12 hr race and a 100 mi race in the past year. There are diminishing returns. :-) (Somewhere around 100K I think you reach maximal discomfort, though maybe I just haven't pushed through to that next level of suffering yet.)
Danihan 9y ago
Wait until they discover fasting..
- bob1029 9y ago
  I didn't really believe the hype until I tried it myself this year. My primary focus had been just lifting heavy and doing regular cardio, but with diet as a secondary factor (lift big, eat big mindset). Fasting really opened my eyes to the complexity of human metabolism. Even a humble OMAD/IF (one meal a day/intermittent fasting) approach is apparently worthwhile, as it produced benefits I have never experienced during or after exercising. The effects to me are mind-blowing, even without really modifying any other variables (I probably consume similar/more calories when doing OMAD/IF). My favorite change by far is the improvement to cognition. I feel like regular fasting is akin to what the drug from the movie "Limitless" would do if it were a real thing. The focus levels alone... Basically the hardest coffee buzz you can imagine, but with a tremendous sense of calm. BDNF is a hell of a thing.
  - ashark 9y ago
    It just makes me sleepy and unable to think straight at ~14-16hrs without food. Maybe it gets better after that but I don't really have a lot of days I can afford to be useless for the whole afternoon—I've gone 30+ hrs and it doesn't improve. I've been informed this is what happens when you aren't on a keto diet and try fasting, but I'd have a way easier/happier time going vegetarian than keto (I like almost none of the keto staples—meat, beans/lentils, eggs—except in combination with not keto things) so that's not happening. I actually find not-eating fairly easy, so it'd be sweet if fasting didn't make me want to nap all the time and slow my brain down to 1/2 speed.
    - e40 9y ago
      I find carbs make me feel this way. Do you do carbs? I find the combo of low carb + IF gives me more energy and focus on days I don't eat. Btw, my IF regime is 3 24-hour fasts a week. I usually do dinner to dinner (so skip breakfast/lunch).
    - 9y ago
zitterbewegung 9y ago
My Uncle has Alzheimer's and this makes me feel even better about my exercise goals now. I lost around 40 pounds and I'm shooing for another 40-50 ish.
aantix 9y ago
Exercise. Fasting. Daily Aspirin. Daily Metformin. Together should put you in a pretty good position.
- voidlogic 9y ago
  Also, if you really hate fasting, indications are eating a moderate protein, high fat (isocaloric) ketogenic diet is almost as good without the discomfort. And if you do that you probably don't need the Metformin :)
  - dvt 9y ago
    Been doing IF this entire year (12pm-8pm feeding window). You definitely get used to being hungry in the mornings for a few hours. This is anecdotal, but I've never felt better! I try to convert everyone :)
    - voidlogic 9y ago
      Also, there are lots of people that do IF AND keto :)
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- throwawaymanbot 9y ago
  Daily Aspirin is very harsh on the stomach.
  - aantix 9y ago
    As for the internal bleeding risks. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2006.03077.x/full http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2006.... "These results translate into an absolute rate increase with aspirin above placebo (the incidence of cases of major GI bleeding attributable to low-dose aspirin) of 0.12% per year (95% CI: 0.070.19% per year).[20] Based on this value, 833 patients (95% CI: 5261429 patients) would need to be treated with low-dose aspirin instead of placebo to cause one major GI bleeding episode during a 1-year period (i.e. the NNH is 833)"
paulborza 9y ago
I've started exercising seriously last September. I've been waking up at 5am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday since then and never felt better. I'm 31. I was always super skinny, but that's no longer the case now. I've gained 25lbs since then by following the 5x5 workout routine. I highly recommend it. There are good apps for the 5x5 workout routine in the app stores too. https://stronglifts.com/5x5/ https://stronglifts.com/5x5/ Go to the gym three times a week for 1 hour and follow the 5x5 routine. You're always sore, but after a while you get used to it. Now I enjoy it a lot. Find a buddy to go to the gym with; that helps a lot.
- dvt 9y ago
  I do a variation of 5x5! It's awesome, and their iPhone app is great for tracking progress.
- NicoJuicy 9y ago
  Highly recommend stronglifts as well + the book: burn the fat, feed the muscle ( content is really good, the website of Tom Venuto is awfull though)
- rubicon33 9y ago
  I've found lifting heavy, and often, to be difficult to stick to while holding down a career. Specifically because of this: > You're always sore, but after a while you get used to it. Being incredibly sore makes it VERY hard for me to get going in the morning (something I already struggle with). It sounds like you might naturally be a morning person if you're exercising at 5am, so maybe this isn't an issue for you. I find I'm running a lot more these days. I've lost weight as a result, but, at least I'm functional at work.
  - fasteo 9y ago
    I was in the same wagon, but note that being sore is not the problem. Heavy lifting is very taxing to the central nervous system and this is what causes the systemic fatigue that won't let you be productive at work. A couple of recommendations that worked for me (46 years old) 1. Lower the intensity. There are a tons of ways to do this, but the simplest would be doing heavy lifting only in the first core lift of the day (squat, deadlift, bench or press). Then, increase the volume (lower the weights, increase the reps) for the rest of the exercises. 2. Periodize your workout plan. This is a science in itself, but the general idea is to adjust the intensity and volume over a period of 4-8 weeks, including a deload week every now and then. 3. Ditch the deadlift. At least for me, deadlift is too taxing. Hope this helps.
krupan 9y ago
I just hope I don't hurt myself exercising while I'm relatively young in such a way that makes it hard to exercise when I'm old.
- magic_beans 9y ago
  Don't let fear of injury stop you. If you get injured exercising, it's because your form is incorrect or you took on a lift your body wasn't ready for.
blisterpeanuts 9y ago
Exercising is a "no brainer" preventative treatment. Increased cardiovascular activity provides more and faster oxygen and nutrient flow to the brain which helps the brain to build more neurons. Another important approach is to build up your cognitive reserve[1]. Evidence exists that people who read more, socially interact more, play music, dance, and stay physically active can delay the onset of dementia by years. Eating right (minimize processed foods and sugars, focus on raw foods, vegetables, fruit, minimal chemicals) is also associated with better memory. Finally, getting a full 8 hours of sleep is associated with good brain health. The brain appears to require about 7-8 hours to fully process the day's knowledge and build it into long term memory structures. If you cheat yourself and get 4-6 hours, most likely your brain simply won't have a chance to build those neural structures to capture long term memories. Probably the type of people who read Hacker News are doing a lot of this stuff already; just working in a technical field that forces you to think all day is very helpful. Exercise and diet are probably the areas that techies notoriously neglect, but that's perhaps more a previous generation than the more health-conscious folks of today's workplace. [1]https://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Medical-School-Achieving-Optimal/dp/007144470X https://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Medical-School-Achieving-Opti...
- victorhooi 9y ago
  I just noticed you mentioned building more neurons - I thought I'd rea somewhere that the number of neurons was fixed at some point in teenagehood, and didn't increase beyond that? Or am I misunderstanding that point? (It would be pretty good if we could grow/regrow them).
  - blisterpeanuts 9y ago
    It's generally accepted today that neurogenesis does occur in the adult brain. That said, probably the main activity in the adult brain is developing interconnections between existing neurons, which requires generation of new dendrites and axons and whatever other structures.
js2 9y ago
(2011)
ropable 9y ago
I lift heavy so that 90-year-old-me doesn't fall down. Turns out I run so that 90-year-old-me doesn't lose his marbles also.
Fricken 9y ago
I started running last fall, but it's boring as hell so in the spring I picked up skateboarding (at 40). It's the steepest and most rewarding learning curve I've been on for a long time. The downside is that all I can think about at work is what I'm going to do when my rickety old body has repaired itself well enough to skateboard again. I'm pretty sure that's a good indicator I'm stimulating parts of my brain that haven't been challenged in a good long time.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
pconnelly15 9y ago
I love being intensely active, but it’s not an everyday thing. I run, I surf, I hike, I bike as much as my lifestyle allows. I like intense exercise because it fits my personality, but that’s not to say it’s more healthy than other forms of exercise. I look like an awkward giraffe in yoga class, you might look like an elegant swan. Do what works best for you. I am active every day. I walk around, I stand. I talk. I MOVE! If you can’t get 10,000 steps or 30 min of active time each day without an intense workout, I would suggest re-thinking your health beliefs.
tsomctl 9y ago
As a counter-anecdote, my grandpa was a logger his whole life, and was physically active and still running a chainsaw well after he started getting Alzheimers.
- dghughes 9y ago
  >and still running a chainsaw well after he started getting Alzheimers. No offense but that sounds a bit terrifying.
TheGrassyKnoll 9y ago
Ultimate frisbee (but you've gotta like to compete)
dghughes 9y ago
I never was into sports but after high school I went to the gym and did for about 20 years. I got out of the habit when I started shift work and never got back except some cycling in the summer. I miss the feeling after I pushed myself the warm feeling and the total relaxation no aches no stress. I hated the feeling of missing the gym I could feel the tendons in the back of my knees and crooks of my arms (inner elbow?) ache. The problem was I never made any progress I must be what is called a non-responder. If I tried to do more I got tired and took more time off. Often I found I did better after taking a three or four days off. But any exercise is like medicine you're only there you only exercise because you have to. I want to be active but not a march forced by the fear of death I want to be there because it's fun.
8sigma 9y ago
This maybe a little off-topic and an inappropriate forum to ask,but I am desperate for an answer. I need advice to increase my Weight. My Stats: Height:5'6" Age:25 Weight:50Kg/110.231 Pounds I wish to gain another 20Kgs.I am too skinny as of now.Really want to get fit.I have tried eating more than my usual food intake,but i suffer from indigestion whenever I do that.Looking for some helpful advice.
- magic_beans 9y ago
  Your only option is to eat more and build muscle. Try one of the many weightlifting plans out there. Eat 6 tablespoons of high-quality peanut butter a day.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

140 points by todd8 9y ago

Exercise is good for nearly everything. We evolved to be active, not to be sedentary. The more you can move, the better.

arwhatever 9y ago
Hopefully we evolve to be sedentary here pretty quickly.
- pm90 9y ago
  What does that even mean? Its not like evolution did some magics that we become better with exercise. Our bodies are trained by actual physical exertions, which are not possible if one is sedentary.
  - bluGill 9y ago
    Humans generally are more valued for doing desk jobs vs physical jobs today. You can survive doing physical labor, but it will be a low paid job. The jobs where you sit behind a desk and your only exercise is pushing a keyboard/mouse are much higher paying, and more stable. As such it is an evolutionary advantage to sedentary today: you are more likely to be able to afford food, and since you are not active you need less of it. The above might sound good, it won't work that way. Exercise hard or be a couch potato - either way your DNA is not a dead end. Either way you get enough food for your and your kids. You will have more luxuries from the sedentary life, but those are not things evolution cares about. There are other shortcuts. Bio engineering is promising. There are lots of other advances in medicine. Any of them could solve the problems of sedentary life in the future. Or maybe not, we don't know what the limits of each is.
    - jrowley 9y ago
      Only a few humans can get rich with physical jobs, e.g. Stef Curry with his $200 million, 5 year contract.
- notadoc 9y ago
  Give it another million years or so, assuming humans last that long.
- woodandsteel 9y ago
  I don't think that would work very well. The problem is the bad health effects of inactivity usually don't really kick in and effect morbidity until after the reproductive years.
js2 9y ago
The more you can move, the better. I've done a 24 hr foot race, a 12 hr race and a 100 mi race in the past year. There are diminishing returns. :-) (Somewhere around 100K I think you reach maximal discomfort, though maybe I just haven't pushed through to that next level of suffering yet.)

Danihan 9y ago

Wait until they discover fasting..

bob1029 9y ago
I didn't really believe the hype until I tried it myself this year. My primary focus had been just lifting heavy and doing regular cardio, but with diet as a secondary factor (lift big, eat big mindset). Fasting really opened my eyes to the complexity of human metabolism. Even a humble OMAD/IF (one meal a day/intermittent fasting) approach is apparently worthwhile, as it produced benefits I have never experienced during or after exercising. The effects to me are mind-blowing, even without really modifying any other variables (I probably consume similar/more calories when doing OMAD/IF). My favorite change by far is the improvement to cognition. I feel like regular fasting is akin to what the drug from the movie "Limitless" would do if it were a real thing. The focus levels alone... Basically the hardest coffee buzz you can imagine, but with a tremendous sense of calm. BDNF is a hell of a thing.
- ashark 9y ago
  It just makes me sleepy and unable to think straight at ~14-16hrs without food. Maybe it gets better after that but I don't really have a lot of days I can afford to be useless for the whole afternoon—I've gone 30+ hrs and it doesn't improve. I've been informed this is what happens when you aren't on a keto diet and try fasting, but I'd have a way easier/happier time going vegetarian than keto (I like almost none of the keto staples—meat, beans/lentils, eggs—except in combination with not keto things) so that's not happening. I actually find not-eating fairly easy, so it'd be sweet if fasting didn't make me want to nap all the time and slow my brain down to 1/2 speed.
  - e40 9y ago
    I find carbs make me feel this way. Do you do carbs? I find the combo of low carb + IF gives me more energy and focus on days I don't eat. Btw, my IF regime is 3 24-hour fasts a week. I usually do dinner to dinner (so skip breakfast/lunch).
  - 9y ago

zitterbewegung 9y ago

My Uncle has Alzheimer's and this makes me feel even better about my exercise goals now. I lost around 40 pounds and I'm shooing for another 40-50 ish.

aantix 9y ago

Exercise. Fasting. Daily Aspirin. Daily Metformin. Together should put you in a pretty good position.

voidlogic 9y ago
Also, if you really hate fasting, indications are eating a moderate protein, high fat (isocaloric) ketogenic diet is almost as good without the discomfort. And if you do that you probably don't need the Metformin :)
- dvt 9y ago
  Been doing IF this entire year (12pm-8pm feeding window). You definitely get used to being hungry in the mornings for a few hours. This is anecdotal, but I've never felt better! I try to convert everyone :)
  - voidlogic 9y ago
    Also, there are lots of people that do IF AND keto :)
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
throwawaymanbot 9y ago
Daily Aspirin is very harsh on the stomach.
- aantix 9y ago
  As for the internal bleeding risks. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2006.03077.x/full http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2006.... "These results translate into an absolute rate increase with aspirin above placebo (the incidence of cases of major GI bleeding attributable to low-dose aspirin) of 0.12% per year (95% CI: 0.070.19% per year).[20] Based on this value, 833 patients (95% CI: 5261429 patients) would need to be treated with low-dose aspirin instead of placebo to cause one major GI bleeding episode during a 1-year period (i.e. the NNH is 833)"

paulborza 9y ago

I've started exercising seriously last September. I've been waking up at 5am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday since then and never felt better. I'm 31. I was always super skinny, but that's no longer the case now. I've gained 25lbs since then by following the 5x5 workout routine. I highly recommend it. There are good apps for the 5x5 workout routine in the app stores too. https://stronglifts.com/5x5/ https://stronglifts.com/5x5/ Go to the gym three times a week for 1 hour and follow the 5x5 routine. You're always sore, but after a while you get used to it. Now I enjoy it a lot. Find a buddy to go to the gym with; that helps a lot.

dvt 9y ago
I do a variation of 5x5! It's awesome, and their iPhone app is great for tracking progress.
NicoJuicy 9y ago
Highly recommend stronglifts as well + the book: burn the fat, feed the muscle ( content is really good, the website of Tom Venuto is awfull though)
rubicon33 9y ago
I've found lifting heavy, and often, to be difficult to stick to while holding down a career. Specifically because of this: > You're always sore, but after a while you get used to it. Being incredibly sore makes it VERY hard for me to get going in the morning (something I already struggle with). It sounds like you might naturally be a morning person if you're exercising at 5am, so maybe this isn't an issue for you. I find I'm running a lot more these days. I've lost weight as a result, but, at least I'm functional at work.
- fasteo 9y ago
  I was in the same wagon, but note that being sore is not the problem. Heavy lifting is very taxing to the central nervous system and this is what causes the systemic fatigue that won't let you be productive at work. A couple of recommendations that worked for me (46 years old) 1. Lower the intensity. There are a tons of ways to do this, but the simplest would be doing heavy lifting only in the first core lift of the day (squat, deadlift, bench or press). Then, increase the volume (lower the weights, increase the reps) for the rest of the exercises. 2. Periodize your workout plan. This is a science in itself, but the general idea is to adjust the intensity and volume over a period of 4-8 weeks, including a deload week every now and then. 3. Ditch the deadlift. At least for me, deadlift is too taxing. Hope this helps.

krupan 9y ago

I just hope I don't hurt myself exercising while I'm relatively young in such a way that makes it hard to exercise when I'm old.

magic_beans 9y ago
Don't let fear of injury stop you. If you get injured exercising, it's because your form is incorrect or you took on a lift your body wasn't ready for.

blisterpeanuts 9y ago

Exercising is a "no brainer" preventative treatment. Increased cardiovascular activity provides more and faster oxygen and nutrient flow to the brain which helps the brain to build more neurons. Another important approach is to build up your cognitive reserve[1]. Evidence exists that people who read more, socially interact more, play music, dance, and stay physically active can delay the onset of dementia by years. Eating right (minimize processed foods and sugars, focus on raw foods, vegetables, fruit, minimal chemicals) is also associated with better memory. Finally, getting a full 8 hours of sleep is associated with good brain health. The brain appears to require about 7-8 hours to fully process the day's knowledge and build it into long term memory structures. If you cheat yourself and get 4-6 hours, most likely your brain simply won't have a chance to build those neural structures to capture long term memories. Probably the type of people who read Hacker News are doing a lot of this stuff already; just working in a technical field that forces you to think all day is very helpful. Exercise and diet are probably the areas that techies notoriously neglect, but that's perhaps more a previous generation than the more health-conscious folks of today's workplace. [1]https://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Medical-School-Achieving-Optimal/dp/007144470X https://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Medical-School-Achieving-Opti...

victorhooi 9y ago
I just noticed you mentioned building more neurons - I thought I'd rea somewhere that the number of neurons was fixed at some point in teenagehood, and didn't increase beyond that? Or am I misunderstanding that point? (It would be pretty good if we could grow/regrow them).
- blisterpeanuts 9y ago
  It's generally accepted today that neurogenesis does occur in the adult brain. That said, probably the main activity in the adult brain is developing interconnections between existing neurons, which requires generation of new dendrites and axons and whatever other structures.

js2 9y ago

(2011)

ropable 9y ago

I lift heavy so that 90-year-old-me doesn't fall down. Turns out I run so that 90-year-old-me doesn't lose his marbles also.

Fricken 9y ago

I started running last fall, but it's boring as hell so in the spring I picked up skateboarding (at 40). It's the steepest and most rewarding learning curve I've been on for a long time. The downside is that all I can think about at work is what I'm going to do when my rickety old body has repaired itself well enough to skateboard again. I'm pretty sure that's a good indicator I'm stimulating parts of my brain that haven't been challenged in a good long time.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

pconnelly15 9y ago

I love being intensely active, but it’s not an everyday thing. I run, I surf, I hike, I bike as much as my lifestyle allows. I like intense exercise because it fits my personality, but that’s not to say it’s more healthy than other forms of exercise. I look like an awkward giraffe in yoga class, you might look like an elegant swan. Do what works best for you. I am active every day. I walk around, I stand. I talk. I MOVE! If you can’t get 10,000 steps or 30 min of active time each day without an intense workout, I would suggest re-thinking your health beliefs.

tsomctl 9y ago

As a counter-anecdote, my grandpa was a logger his whole life, and was physically active and still running a chainsaw well after he started getting Alzheimers.

dghughes 9y ago
>and still running a chainsaw well after he started getting Alzheimers. No offense but that sounds a bit terrifying.

TheGrassyKnoll 9y ago

Ultimate frisbee (but you've gotta like to compete)

dghughes 9y ago

I never was into sports but after high school I went to the gym and did for about 20 years. I got out of the habit when I started shift work and never got back except some cycling in the summer. I miss the feeling after I pushed myself the warm feeling and the total relaxation no aches no stress. I hated the feeling of missing the gym I could feel the tendons in the back of my knees and crooks of my arms (inner elbow?) ache. The problem was I never made any progress I must be what is called a non-responder. If I tried to do more I got tired and took more time off. Often I found I did better after taking a three or four days off. But any exercise is like medicine you're only there you only exercise because you have to. I want to be active but not a march forced by the fear of death I want to be there because it's fun.

8sigma 9y ago

This maybe a little off-topic and an inappropriate forum to ask,but I am desperate for an answer. I need advice to increase my Weight. My Stats: Height:5'6" Age:25 Weight:50Kg/110.231 Pounds I wish to gain another 20Kgs.I am too skinny as of now.Really want to get fit.I have tried eating more than my usual food intake,but i suffer from indigestion whenever I do that.Looking for some helpful advice.

magic_beans 9y ago
Your only option is to eat more and build muscle. Try one of the many weightlifting plans out there. Eat 6 tablespoons of high-quality peanut butter a day.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]