Weightlifting

New Research on How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Now

People are currently living longer than ever before – and while you would be hard pressed to find someone who thinks this is bad thing, it does come with its own unique set of challenges. Namely an increase in the risk of developing several age-related diseases, with one of the most common being Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s Disease- Could Irisin Be the Cure?

Hunter Bennett The one thing that strikes fear into the hearts of most people on this planet is the prospect of losing their mental capacity, such as having Alzheimer’s. To be honest, I am no different. Let’s face it, it’s terrifying. Now, most of you would appreciate that if you don’t actively try and maintain

How HIIT Changes Our Body

Evan Stevens Researchers looked at how HIIT (high intensity interval training) changed glucose metabolism in diabetic mice. We have known for a long time that exercise can be used to improve, treat, and prevent all manner of metabolic disease outside of actually curing the disease and the changes are independent of dietary factors. However, there

man running on track

Lifestyle Recommendations To Prevent Cognitive Decline

Julia C. Basso, PhD Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-80% of cases, and is characterized by problems with memory, thinking, and behavior. AD is progressive; symptoms worsen over time, with individuals eventually losing the ability to carry on tasks of daily living. AD results from changes in the

plank

Isometric Exercise and Alzheimer’s Disease

Catherine O’Brien Alzheimer’s Disease is the leading cause of dementia and currently affects an estimated 5.5 million American adults (Center for Disease Control, 2016). Unfortunately, the Center for Disease Control predicts that the incidence of Alzheimer’s will increase in the coming years.  The early stages of the disease are marked by Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Brain Inflammation and Exercise

Exercise and Brain Inflammation

Julia Basso – PhD The post I wrote last week talked about the exciting connection between exercise and the immune system.  I specifically focused on one immune factor, known as interleukin-6 (IL-6), that not only serves immune functions but also acts to enhance metabolic processes, like burning fats and sugars.  Because exercise affects our immune factors,

woman on dock

The Exercise Effect On Daydreaming

Julia C. Basso, PhD Do you ever wonder what your brain does while you daydream?  The majority of adults daydream at least once a day and for many of us, this behavior occurs periodically through the day.  Daydreaming often occurs during our downtime or when we have a moment to rest.  From an outside perspective,

Lengthen Healthspan Through Exercise

Julia Basso – PhD Youth is a sought after thing.  Doctors, scientists, and many others among us are actively seeking the elusive fountain of youth.  The ultimate question is:  how do we keep our bodies and minds young?  One of my favorite movies, Death Becomes Her, stars Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.  In it, these

yoga class

Exercise, Fitness, And Alzheimer’s Disease

Sara Thompson – M.Sc. Exercise Science Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, affecting approximately 5.3 million Americans (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). It’s usually characterized by memory loss, but can lead to other complications such as changes in behavior, mood swings, and disorientation. There are no preventative treatments or cures for AD, however there is growing

Exercise: A Magic Pill To Help Protect The Brain From Cellular Pathology

Julia Basso – PhD The opening statement in a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association reads, “Pathology is not destiny” (Kuehn, 2015).  This statement is based off of a huge prospective study that followed 2,566 healthy, older adults (ages 65 years and up) for around 16 years.  During the study participants were

Reduce Healthcare Costs

Reduce Healthcare Costs with Exercise

Julia Basso – PhD It’s that spooky time of year, and surely something’s scary…healthcare costs in the United States.  Countries around the world spend on average 9% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on health care.  From this graph, which represents the healthcare costs per capita as a percentage of the GDP, you can see

Functional Decline in Aging: Exercise and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

Julia Basso – PhD Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are naturally occurring, volatile molecules located within our bodies and brains.  They are also known as free radicals because they contain a “free” electron that is available to pair with another electron, thus giving them their volatile qualities.  ROS include oxygen, peroxide, and hydrogen peroxide, to name