Some animal studies suggest a greater contribution of this sport than others in defending the health of our “control room”. Non-definitive results
That aerobic activity, in general, is a good for our body and can contribute substantially to slow down certain degenerative phenomena linked to aging is now widely demonstrated. Some studies, for now on animals (rats, fish) above all and some on small groups of athletes, would seem to entrust swimming in particular with a sort of primacy among sports that are good for the brain. According to the scientific papers cited by Seena Mathew, Professor of Biology at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), who wrote about it in the online journal The Conversation (here the article), swimming done on a regular basis it would improve memory, cognitive function, immune response and mood. It would also help repair the damage caused by stress and to create new neural connections in the brain. But is it really so?
All the benefits of swimming
“The answer to the question why swimming would seem to give better results than other aerobic sports is logical: it is the most complete sport from the point of view of muscle activation, because almost all the muscles of the body are used” replies the professor Gianfranco Beltrami, specialist in sports medicine, national vice president of the Italian Sports Medical Federation. But scientific studies that indisputably demonstrate the presumed supremacy of swimming over all the others have not yet been published. In general, the beneficial effects of this sport are innumerable: it improves the respiratory capacity; promotes relaxation and has positive effects on mood; increases muscle endurance, strength and flexibility. It allows you to burn many calories, depending on the style practiced and the pace of training. It does not stress the joints, so it is also suitable for obese people or in the presence of musculoskeletal problems It allows you to burn many calories, depending on the style practiced and the pace of training. It reduces the risk of diabetes and lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. It activates the cardiovascular system, with positive effects on heart rate and blood pressure.
Four possible mechanisms: the Bdnf
“Physical activity could protect the brain based on four mechanisms, the first being that of Bdnf (Brain derived neurotrophic factor ed) ; the second mechanism could be that ofirisina; the third could be that of the inhibition of quinurenine and fourth, greater oxygenation, linked to physical activity would produce an increase in glial cells », Beltrami speculates. Let’s go in order. Seena Mathew’s article also talks about the Bdnf. ‘Neural plasticity, or the brain’s ability to change, stimulated by this protein has been shown to increase cognitive function, including learning and memory. Studies on people have found one forte relationship between the concentrations of Bdnf circulating in the brain and an increase in the size of the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for learning and memory. Increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor have also been shown to improve cognitive performance and help reduce anxiety and depression. In reverse, the researchers observed mood disturbances in patients with lower concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, ”writes Mathew.
The theory of the role of irisin
The other three possible mechanisms underlying the protective shield function that, we repeat, not only swimming but all aerobic activities seem to exercise on the brain, Professor Beltrami explains: “There is a theory related to irisin, a hormone produced by the muscles. In addition to the activity of transforming white fat, that is the harmful one, into brown fat, irisin would also have aactivity related to brain function and therefore to an improvement in memory, attention, cognitive performance. Since this hormone is produced by the musculor while Bdnf is produced in the brain, it could explain the fact that, since more muscles are involved in swimming, this irisin is produced in greater quantities ».
Quinurenine
“Another aspect that can always be linked to physical activity and the brain, concerns chronic inflammation», Explains the vice president of Fmsi. «Chronic inflammation is to some extent the common matrix of all non-communicable pathologies. According to some articles published in the scientific journal Cell one of the causes of depression and dementia seems to be the accumulation in the brain of kynurenine, a metabolite of tryptophan, an amino acid that would have a very negative effect. Well, it has been seen that physical activity causes the muscles to produce an enzyme that would be able to inactivate this kynurenine, produced very frequently when there are situations of stress and nervous tension ».
The glial cells
The last possible mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of sport on the brain starts from its conformation. “It is clear that the brain can also be considered a muscle. When we do sports, most of the blood flow goes to the brain and muscles and therefore this would also seem to produce another effect linked precisely to the greater blood circulation and greater oxygenation: there would also be an increase in cell gliali , support cells that have the function of protecting the brain from injury and therefore of nourishing neurons », adds Beltrami.
Frequency and intensity matter
Furthermore, before we all throw ourselves into the pool and think that we will save our brains lap after lap, we need to introduce two other concepts. “The frequency: if one goes swimming once every 15 days, it doesn’t hurt him. But it also counts the intensity: if one does four strokes it is not enough. So it takes at least 20-30 minute periods of continuous swimming at least three times a week», Beltrami specifies. «From an objective point of view I can say that it works. I see a lot of patients starting to exercise, and not just swimming, and that after a while they say that they are more attentive, cheerful, more performing at work, have better memories, sleep better ».
July 28, 2021 (change July 28, 2021 | 18:41)
© Time.News