Exercise hormone can delay onset of Alzheimer's:
Physical exercise can
help counter the loss of memory caused by Alzheimer's as well as delay
the onset of the most common type of dementia, according to a study.
Researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ),
established a link between levels of irisin, a hormone produced by the
body during exercise, and the development of the progressive disease,
Xinhua news agency reported.
The tests, carried out
on rats with Alzheimer's, showed low levels of irisin in the brains of
Alzheimer's sufferers, and a reversal in memory loss when irisin levels
were boosted through physical exercise.
The study showed that "the levels of this hormone are in fact decreased
in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's", said Sergio Ferreira,
Professor at the UFRJ.
In addition, the team showed that by boosting the levels of the hormone,
"memory improves".
By showing that "irisin
is an important mediator of the beneficial effects of exercise," the
findings indicate the hormone can be "a novel agent capable of opposing
synapse failure and memory impairment", said the study published in the
journal Nature Medicine.
The research also reinforces the importance of physical activity in
preventing memory loss and brain diseases, including Alzheimer's, the
report said.