Want to improve your brain's memory & thought processing?
Japanese researchers have shown that whilst Brain Glycogen levels reduce with exercise, they can be boosted immediately on resting & feeding!
To levels that exceed that of resting brains and continued exercise maintains these levels!
The Journal of Physiology published an article last year from researchers at the university of Tsukuba which had two sets of rats with one group whom were involved in a treadmill running programme, the other whom had stationary treadmills.The tested the levels of glycogen in the brains of the rats during & after exercise.
Journal of Physiology2011 Jul 1;589(Pt 13):3383-93. Epub 2011 Apr 26
Brain Glycogen is seen as being a critical energy source for brain activity. It has been hypothesised that during prolonged exhaustive exercise, a state of hypoglycaemia exists where there is inadequate glucose from the blood, in addition to reductions in muscular glycogen levels.
The levels were noticeably less in certain portions of the brain governing thinking,memory & movement such as the frontal cortex & hippocampus.However, when researchers studied the rats after a single bout of exercise as well as regular moderate-intesity running (4 weeks).
After the single bout of exercise group, the rats were able to rest & feed: brain levels of glycogen were measured to have actually were elevated beyond the pre-exercise levels as well as when exhausted! This was particularly so in the frontal cortex & hippocampus by as much a 60%! These unusually high levels were restored to normal levels within 24 hours.
However, if rats continued with an exercise regime over 4 weeks this form of glycogen 'superadaptation' became the new norm compared to sedentary animals. Again areas critical to learning & memory in the pre frontal cortex & hippocampus were especially marked-this is a striking finding that encourages author Dr Hideaki Soya to suggest that "it is tempting to suggest that increased storage & utility of brain glycogen in the cortex and hippocampus might be involved in the development of a better, sharper brain."
SO another great reason for reaching for the bananas, yoghurts & milk after any form of run or training that renders you exhausted, or tired for a prolonged period! It could be ideal for a supercompensation strategy for your brain!
Mutchy, it appears that you are promoting the ingestion of bananas in the post-exercise period. Is this simply an example of "do as I say not do as I do", or have you turned over a new (banana) leaf?
ReplyDelete