{"id":545553,"date":"2026-03-26T02:48:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T02:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/545553\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T02:48:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T02:48:07","slug":"scientists-discover-how-exercise-protects-the-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/545553\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Discover How Exercise Protects the Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lunges and squats may do more for the brain than previously thought, including helping protect it from damage tied to aging and dementia<\/a>, a new study suggests.<\/p>\n

In research published this month in the journal Cell<\/a>, scientists found that physical activity may help repair the blood-brain barrier, a layer of cells that protects the brain from harmful toxins and pathogens.<\/p>\n

This barrier naturally weakens as people age, which can lead to inflammation and increase risk for conditions like dementia.<\/p>\n

The new study, conducted in mice, found that exercise triggers the release of a protein made in the liver. That protein travels through the bloodstream and helps strengthen the brain\u2019s protective barrier.<\/p>\n

While results of animal studies often differ in people, this study is promising, observers said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese results provide compelling evidence in animal models that exercise-related signals from the liver can improve brain function by acting on the blood-brain barrier,\u201d Michelle Voss<\/a>, director of the University of Iowa\u2019s Health, Brain and Cognition Lab, told The Washington Post. She reviewed the findings but was not involved in the study.<\/p>\n

Researchers focused on a protein called GPLD1, which is released during and after exercise.<\/p>\n

Scientists had previously found that older mice performed better on memory tests after receiving blood from mice that had been active.<\/p>\n

In this new study, they took their inquiry a step farther.<\/p>\n

They genetically upped GPLD1 levels in older mice that did not exercise. Even without activity, those mice showed better memory and learning and had signs of healthier brain cells.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, the protein itself did not enter the brain.<\/p>\n

Instead, it likely worked outside the brain by improving the protective blood-brain barrier.<\/p>\n

The team found that aging brains had higher levels of a harmful protein called TNAP, which can make the protective barrier more porous.<\/p>\n

Older mice that exercised had lower levels of TNAP. When researchers increased GPLD1 in inactive mice, it helped remove excess TNAP. This made the barrier stronger and less “leaky.”<\/p>\n

As a result, brain tissue was better protected, and the mice performed better on thinking tests.<\/p>\n

Scientists say the findings may help explain why exercise supports brain health.<\/p>\n

They also hinted at a future initiative aimed at creating treatments that copy some of the effects that exercise provides, especially for people who cannot exercise.<\/p>\n

But experts warned that “many promising exercise-related pathways in mice turn out to be more complicated in humans,” David Raichlen<\/a>, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Southern California who also wasn’t involved in the research, told The Post.<\/p>\n

Researchers hope to begin human studies soon. But they stress that no pill or procedure can fully replace exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can, exercise,\u201d said senior author Saul Villeda<\/a>, a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. \u201cIt\u2019ll always be one of the best things you can do\u201d for your health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lunges and squats may do more for the brain than previously thought, including helping protect it from damage…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545554,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[1333,3615,119031,1103,674,97,252,253,38818],"class_list":["post-545553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-blood-brain-barrier","tag-brain","tag-cells","tag-dementia","tag-exercise","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-protect"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}