It was revealed that ‘weekend warriors’ who do moderate to intense exercise on Saturday and Sunday can prevent dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke just as well as those who exercise regularly throughout the week.
There have been studies showing that weekend workouts are just as good for your physical health as regular exercise. There is also extensive evidence that regular physical activity is good for your brain health. However, it is unclear whether the “weekend warrior” style of exercise, which involves one or two days of intense exercise, is related to brain health.
So the new study focused on whether weekend warrior-type workouts might also have brain health benefits, including a reduced risk of neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
Researchers set out to look at how the risk of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke changed when people focused on one or two days of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), the 150 minutes or more a week that experts recommend, such as on the weekend.
Researchers analysed data from 75,629 people (average age 62) enrolled in the UK Biobank, a database that collects medical data from half a million British adults, who wore fitness trackers to objectively measure their activity levels.
First, they divided them into three groups: those who did not meet the recommended 150 minutes of MVPA per week, those who evenly distributed it throughout the week, and those who concentrated 50% of their MVPA on weekends.
Researchers specifically looked at the effects of physical activity on brain health, including dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. They followed up for a median of 8.4 years and tallied the incidence of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and other psychological disorders.
After adjusting for health and lifestyle factors, analysis of the risk reduction for specific diseases among weekend warriors showed a 23% reduction in dementia, 13% reduction in stroke, 49% reduction in Parkinson’s disease, 26% reduction in depression, and 28% reduction in anxiety.
It was confirmed that meeting the recommended weekly physical activity amount of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week can have almost the same effect as exercising every day.
Chinese scientists who published these research results in the international academic journal ‘Nature Aging’ said, “We found that the weekend warrior pattern was associated with a similarly low risk of dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, depressive disorder, and anxiety compared to a regular activity pattern.”
Paul Asciero, a professor of health and human physiology at Skidmore College in New York, told Medical News Today that “physical activity increases blood flow throughout the body, including the brain, which provides nutrients and oxygen to cells and helps remove harmful waste products and toxins.” He added that “increased blood flow to the brain helps grow new nerve fibers and blood vessels, and reduces plaque buildup, inflammation, and free radicals. It also increases anti-inflammatory substances and antioxidants.” He was not involved in the study.
Professor Asiero added that in his own study of people of the same age, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three or more times a week improved blood markers important for cognitive function and neural growth.
“I wouldn’t change my recommendation that people should try to move as much as possible because of this study,” Dr. Michael Frederickson, co-director of the Stanford University School of Medicine’s Longevity Center and not involved in the study, told Healthline. “However, for those who can’t, this study is encouraging in that it shows that even if you can exercise only on weekends, you can still get significant benefits.”
Reporter Park Hae-sik, Donga.com [email protected]
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2024-09-03 12:36:33