{"id":17678,"date":"2025-09-12T23:53:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T23:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/17678\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T23:53:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T23:53:15","slug":"brain-scans-show-this-type-of-exercise-boosts-memory-and-grows-the-hippocampus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/17678\/","title":{"rendered":"Brain scans show this type of exercise boosts memory and grows the hippocampus"},"content":{"rendered":"

I can\u2019t deny that exercising enhances my focus, memory, and productivity the rest of the day and maybe the next day, too. Researchers<\/a> have found that one year of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise<\/a> resulted in a significant increase in the volume of the hippocampus and helped reverse age-related volume loss in this brain region.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The hippocampus is the learning and memory center of the brain, and engaging in physical activity is one way to help prevent cognitive decline and enhance your brain function, memory, and learning. Recent research highlights a specific type of exercise that can boost your memory and grow the hippocampus. Let\u2019s explore.<\/p>\n

Which type of exercise grows the hippocampus?<\/p>\n

\"person<\/p>\n

\t\tTony Pham \/ Pexels<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to get back on the bike. A recent 13-year study<\/a> published in JAMA Network Open involved almost half a million adults, and the researchers aimed to investigate how various modes of transportation are associated with brain health over time, with a focus on dementia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The researchers revealed that individuals who cycled frequently had a significantly lower risk of getting dementia. Cycling was linked to a 19% reduced all-cause dementia risk and a 22% reduced risk of Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

Cycling was the mode of transportation that grew the hippocampus on brain scans. The study authors noted that those who cycled had much bigger hippocampal volumes. It turns out, there\u2019s something powerful about cycling for brain health. With Alzheimer\u2019s disease, the hippocampus is known to degenerate and shrink in the earlier stages of progression.<\/p>\n

Cycling and your brain<\/p>\n

\"man<\/p>\n

\t\tMunbaik \/ Pexels<\/p>\n

Scientists have long been studying the connection between brain health and exercise, including cycling. In another study<\/a>, participants cycled for at least 30 minutes three times a week for a total of eight weeks. Some study participants used an E-bike to assist with pedaling, while others used a traditional bicycle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The study authors measured cognitive function and well-being before and after the intervention and concluded that both the E-bike group<\/a> and the traditional cycling group showed improvements in accuracy and executive function compared to participants who did not cycle. Executive function refers to cognitive skills like memory, focus, and planning.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to get back on the bike<\/p>\n

\"man<\/p>\n

\t\tKingbull Bikes \/ Unsplash<\/p>\n

This research demonstrates that cycling isn\u2019t just another mode of transportation; it\u2019s an effective way to enhance brain function while traveling outdoors. These brain scans highlight the potential of cycling<\/a> to stimulate the growth of the brain region associated with learning and memory. So, if you\u2019re someone who frequently forgets where you put your car keys or your phone and you\u2019re having difficulty focusing, it\u2019s worth cycling more often.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I can\u2019t deny that exercising enhances my focus, memory, and productivity the rest of the day and maybe…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17679,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[501,499,103,61,60,5171,5172],"class_list":{"0":"post-17678","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-health-fitness","9":"tag-fitness","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-premium","14":"tag-workouts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}