Maaaring mabawasan ng moderate-intensity walking regimen ang mga sintomas ng mild cognitive impairment na iniugnay sa mahinang kalusugan ng blood vessel sa utak. Ito ang ipinahihiwatig sa isang pag-aaral.
Ang mga kalahok na may vascular cognitive impairment, kung minsan ay tinatawag na vascular dementia, na naglalakad ng tatlong oras kada linggo sa loob ng anim na buwan ay bumuti ang bilis ng reaksiyon at iba ang senyales ng improved brain function, iniulat ng Canadian team sa British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Ang vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) ay tumutukoy sa mildly impaired thinking o advanced dementia na sanhi ng kaparehong uri ng pinsala sa blood vessel na nakita sa mga heart disease sa iba pang bahagi ng katawan. Ito ang ikalawang pinakakaraniwang sakit na sanhi ng dementia kasunod ng Alzheimer’s disease.
“It is well established that regular aerobic exercise improves cardiovascular health and cerebrovascular health,” sabi ng senior author ng pag-aaral na si Teresa Liu-Ambrose sa Reuters Health.
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“More specifically, it reduces one’s risk of developing chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes (type II), and high cholesterol. These chronic conditions have a negative impact on the brain - likely through compromised blood flow to the brain,” sabi ni Liu-Ambrose, researcher sa Aging, Mobility, at Cognitive Neuroscience Lab sa University of British Columbia sa Vancouver.
Ang utak ay highly metabolic organ at upang mapanatili itong malusog, nangangailangan ito ng maayos na daloy ng dugo para maihatid ang mga kinakailangang sustansiya at oxygen sa mga tissue, dagdag niya.
“It is worth noting that in our study, reduced blood pressure (secondary to exercise) was associated with improved cognitive function,” anang Liu-Ambrose.
Maaari ring makatutulong ang aerobic exercise sa utak sa pagpapataas sa growth factors, na mga sustansiyang ginagawa ng katawan na nagtataguyod ng cell growth, differentiation at survival, aniya.
Sa pangkalahatan, lumalabas na ang pag-eehersisyo ay promising strategy sa pagsusulong ng kalusugan ng utak ng matatanda, ani Liu-Ambrose.
“While more research is needed to better understand how it brings about its benefits and what factors may impact the degree of benefit observed, there is minimal negative consequence of exercising,” aniya.
“Given the small sample size, one needs to be cautious about interpreting the results of this pilot study. However, it is encouraging to see that the six-month aerobic exercise program improved certain aspects of cognition and showed changes on functional brain imaging,” sabi naman ni Dr. Joe Verghese, director ng Montefiore Einstein Center for the Aging Brain at Montefiore Medical Center sa New York.
“The effect of exercise in this, and other studies seems to be on improving executive functions, which are required for planning, thinking and judgment,” ani Verghese, na hindi kasama sa pag-aaral.
“The findings, if confirmed in larger studies, may have implications in advising exercise in older patients with vascular risk factors for brain protection,” Verghese aniya. (Reuters)
