Getting your steps in could help fight off Alzheimer’s, new research has found.
Regular aerobic exercise was linked to a reduction in markers in the brains of in rats that associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s, including amyloid plaques, according to a new paper in the journal Brain Research.
Doing cardio could therefore help fight off the development of Alzheimer’s, the researchers say.
“Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no known cure, impacting millions worldwide,” study co-author Augusto Coppi, senior lecturer in veterinary anatomy at the University of Bristol, said in a statement.
“While physical exercise is known to reduce cognitive decline, the cellular mechanisms behind its neuroprotective effects have remained elusive—until now.
“This research highlights the potential for aerobic exercise to serve as a cornerstone in preventive strategies for Alzheimer’s.”
Stock image of an older couple running (main) and amyloid plaques in the brain (inset). Alzheimer’s disease could be slowed by aerobic exercise, researchers say.
ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Aerobic exercise, also known as cardio, refers to physical activity that increases your heart rate and breathing while engaging large muscle groups over an extended period.
Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, running, cycling, swimming, dancing and team sports.
In the paper, the researchers describe how they examined how aerobic exercise impacted the development of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the hippocampus brain region of rats, as well as the accumulation of iron in myelin-producing cells known as oligodendrocytes.
Alzheimer’s disease primarily affects memory, thinking and behavior—and has no cure. Symptoms of early Alzheimer’s include memory loss, misplacing items, disorientation, and impaired judgment, while late-stage Alzheimer’s can involve severe cognitive decline to the point of an inability to recognize familiar faces, as well as motor issues that can impair walking and even sitting.
A hallmark of Alzheimer’s is the abnormal accumulation of proteins in the brain—such as amyloid plaques and tau tangles—which interfere with normal brain function.
Amyloid plaques accumulate between neurons, disrupting communication and leading to memory loss and cognitive decline, while tau tangles accumulate inside neurons, disrupting their normal function and leading to neuronal death.
Iron accumulation in myelin-producing cells called oligodendrocytes is also a marker of Alzheimer’s, as excess iron can result in oxidative stress, affecting myelin—an insulating layer that lines the outside of our nerve cells—production and subsequently disrupting neural communication.
“Iron overload in the oligodendrocytes is an inducer of ferroptosis in aged brains,” the researchers wrote.
The researchers found that increased levels of aerobic exercise in the aging rats reduced the appearance of these markers, indicating a slower onset of Alzheimer’s.
Their results revealed that there was a 63 percent reduction of tau tangles, a 76 percent decrease in amyloid plaques, and a 58 percent decrease in iron accumulation in the brains of the rats who regularly exercised compared to those who did not.
“Physical activity has been investigated as a preventive tool to defeat the main biological features of Alzheimer’s disease: pathological amyloid protein plaques, tau tangles, myelin degeneration and iron deposits in the brain,” the researchers wrote in the paper.
“Our results indicate that iron overload in the oligodendrocytes is an inducer of ferroptosis; physical exercise reduces inflammaging [chronic, low-grade inflammation] and improves axon-myelin volume relations; tau, amyloid, iron, and hippocampal formation cells present statistical correlations,” they said.
The researchers hope to progress to testing if these findings carry over to humans too.
“Our data suggest the beneficial effects of physical exercise in Alzheimer’s disease,” they said.
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References
Gutierre, R. C., Rocha, P. R., Graciani, A. L., Coppi, A. A., & Arida, R. M. (2024). Tau, amyloid, iron, oligodendrocytes ferroptosis, and inflammaging in the hippocampal formation of aged rats submitted to an aerobic exercise program. Brain Research, 1850, 149419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2024.149419
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