Yoga Benefits the Brain and May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s

Staying aerobically fit, and sticking to an exercise routine like running, is good for your brain and overall health. But new research points towards yoga as another option for those who want to protect their brains from Alzheimer’s — and who may enjoy physical activity that’s a bit more calm.

Yoga — the ancient practice originating in India that incorporates stretching, flexibility, strength and mindfulness — may keep the brain healthy, boost memory and lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, according to a new review of 11 studies.

Because many studies about yoga’s brain benefits have been inconclusive, the researchers of the review aimed to examine the connection between yoga and brain health in the hopes of coming to a more solid conclusion.

Aerobic Exercise and the Brain

It’s well established that aerobic exercise — like running, swimming or anything that gets your heart rate up — may be one of the single most important things you can do for your brain and body health. Exercise is known to stimulate neurons, reduce the risk of dementia and even slow down the aging process.

Wendy Suzuki, a neuroscientist at New York University, says that even mild to moderate exercise can reduce your risk of dementia by 30 percent. In a past Being Patient interview, Suzuki referred to a study that found the most intensely active women had the lowest chances of developing dementia.

“If you were high-fit, you were 90 percent less likely to have developed dementia,” Suzuki said. “That tells me that in the range of exercise that’s attainable — these are not Olympic athletes here — we can change our probability of getting dementia by between 30 percent with walking and 90 percent with being a high-fit person.”

Yoga’s Effect on Alzheimer’s

Though aerobic exercise and fitness has largely been studied in the context of neurodegenerative diseases, researchers haven’t focused as much specifically on yoga. This newest analysis provides further evidence that yoga may also have memory-saving effects on the brain.

In five of the 11 studies, participants without any yoga background took yoga sessions every week for 10-24 weeks. Researchers compared their brain health before and after those 10-24 weeks of yoga sessions. In the other studies, researchers measured brain changes in people who do yoga regularly, and compared them to those who don’t. (MORE)

Source: BeingPatient.com