Neuroscientists Just Discovered a Specific Type of Exercise Can Make You Stay Smarter, and for Much Longer

Productivity

Your brain naturally rewires itself as you age—but research shows it doesn’t have to, and not as quickly.

NOV 14, 2024 Photo: Getty Images My father’s cognitive decline was substantial by the time he passed.

Actually, “substantial” is an understatement. Some part of him seemed to know I was a person he knew, but he didn’t know who I was. When he did speak, it was stimulus-response, mostly “no” and “all right.” He lost control of most basic bodily functions. Near the end, he sometimes seemed to forget how to swallow. Some things remained—for example, he still responded to music—but for the most part, he was “gone,” a word he used, while he could, to describe what he feared was happening to him.

I think about that when I consider antiaging startups, especially those launched by famous entrepreneurs: Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame, Larry Ellison of Oracle, Peter Thiel of PayPal, or Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page . They, along with numerous other startups, have made considerable investments in trying to find ways to help people live longer. Insights From New Research

It all makes sense. Lifespan matters to all of us. So does health span, that is, the length of time you’re healthy, not just alive. So does brain span, the ability to maintain brain health and function; in simple terms, to not be “gone.” Which might be something you don’t need to invest hundreds of millions in startup funds to potentially address. According to a study just published in NeuroImage: Clinical , regular resistance training—think body weight or actual weights, not cardio—may help delay or reduce the onset of cognitive decline as we age.

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As the researchers write : For the first time we show that six months of high intensity resistance exercise is capable of not only promoting better cognition in those with [mild cognitive impairment], but also protecting Alzheimer’s disease-vulnerable hippocampal subfields from degeneration for at least 12 months post-intervention. Or, in non-researcher-speak, regular resistance training improves the health of your hippocampus, the part of your brain largely responsible for memory and learning. Resistance training also improves your brain’s ability to change and adapt, or what neurologists call “hippocampal plasticity.” Yep, there’s a scientific term for everything. From Muscle to Mind

Ninety minutes per week, spread across two to three workouts, seems to be the cognition-promoting sweet spot.

Interestingly, a study just published in Advanced Healthcare Materials found that muscle contraction releases myokines, molecules shown to facilitate neural growth.

As those researchers write : This study demonstrates that tuning the mechanical properties of fibrin enables longitudinal culture of highly contractile skeletal muscle monolayers, enabling functional characterization of and long-term secretome harvesting from exercised tissues. Motor neurons stimulated with exercised muscle-secreted factors significantly upregulate neurite outgrowth and migration, with an effect size dependent on muscle contraction intensity. All of which is a fancy way of saying that when your muscles contract during exercise, the resulting myokine release causes neurons to grow four times faster than those not exposed to myokines–and new cells are always a good thing, whether for repairing damage or enhancing and even extending function. A Personal Reflection

Which leads us back to my dad. His cognitive decline took place over a number of years. He knew he was slipping, and he wished there was a way to slow or stop the decline. Other than seeing a doctor, I didn’t know what to tell him. Had I known resistance training might have helped, I surely would have encouraged him.

Had a business owner explained that resistance training might help, I feel sure he would have been all in. Dying “early” wasn’t my father’s primary concern. Losing who he was, mentally and emotionally, while still alive, was his greatest fear.

Billions of dollars of research later, longevity technology still isn’t here. Supplements, ultrasound, red light therapy, magnet therapy, cold tubs for ice baths … the scientific evidence is currently slim regarding causal outcomes from cutting-edge longevity treatments.

But as an entrepreneur, you could address the market in ways already proven—and that require considerably less capital. Muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and body weight can have a major impact on overall health. Resistance training can have an impact on cognitive health, and on nerve health. One study found that every minute of exercise can add five minutes to your life . Maybe you’ll find ways to help people use exercise to improve their lifespans, health spans, and brain spans.

Do that, and you could build a thriving business that makes a real difference in other people’s lives. I know my dad would have signed up.

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