By Tim Rigby (copyright IFM Media)
The health benefits of exercise are immeasurable and certainly include the myriad of effects on the brain, such as a positive mood, mental energy and improved memory. Recently, scientists at The University of California (San Francisco) Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research identified a little-studied liver protein called Gpld1 in a study that just appeared in the journal Science. According to their conclusions, Gpld1 might be directly responsible for those anti-aging benefits on the brain propagated by exercise. While it’s well-known that exercise can improve brain function, it had heretofore been unclear as to exactly how this occurs; there had been no discernible pathway to these effects.
The manner at which this discovery can benefit society is based on the fact that many people who are in middle age, or approaching their elderly years, are simply not physically capable of exercise. They therefore miss out on the brain-enhancing benefits of working out, however, further investigation of Gpld1 may eventually lead to the development of new drugs which can leverage its power to assist the segment of the population which can’t exercise. Cognitive function is, of course, of great importance to individuals once they enter advanced years. The study was conducted on mice but it’s surmised that the results can practically have application in humans.
