Exercising positively impacts brain health of obese people

The researchers have learnt that obese and overweight individuals are prone to insulin resistance in the brain, where it provides information about current nutritional status, as well as the rest of the body.

As part of the study, 22 sedentary adults with overweight or obesity (an average body mass index (BMI) of 31) underwent two brain scans before and after an 8-week exercise intervention, including cycling and walking.

The findings were discussed in the 27th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior.

Brain function was measured before and after using an insulin nasal spray to investigate insulin sensitivity of the brain.

Participants were also assessed for cognition, mood, and peripheral metabolism.

Even though the exercise intervention only resulted in a marginal weight loss, brain functions important for metabolism “normalised” only after 8-weeks. Exercise increased regional blood flow in areas of the brain important for motor control and reward processes, both of which depend on the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter for learning new motor skills and in reward-related learning and this research shows that exercise significantly improves dopamine-related brain function.

One area, in particular, the striatum, had enhanced sensitivity to insulin after the 8-week exercise such that the brain response of a person with obesity after exercise training resembled the response of a person with normal weight.

Interestingly, the greater the improvement in brain function, the more belly fat a person lost during the course of the exercise intervention. Behaviorally, participants reported an improvement in mood and task switching, which is an indicator of improved executive function.

Published : October 13, 2019 6:27 pm

/**/

Exercising positively impacts brain health of obese people

Up next

Reading at bedtime can improve overall well-being

Author

shalw

Tags

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Trump claims DeSantis would be working in a cigar store now if it wasn’t for his endorsement

The joke’s on Harry: Duke has ‘left himself open to becoming a laughing stock’ with new book

Chester Hill Sydney man charged with domestic violence offences found with dead rabbits in freezer

I’m washing my town’s gum-riddled streets in my spare time

Inter Miami 1-2 Houston Dynamo – US Open Cup final: Lionel Messi’s absence hurts hosts as they suffer defeat in their own backyard… with Josef Martinez’s late strike too little too late

Prime suspect Jason Billingsley in bludgeoning murder of Forbes ’30 under 30′ tech startup CEO Pava LaPere at her Baltimore home is ARRESTED without incident at city train station after two days on the run

‘If you all stay in the race, Trump wins’: Republican candidates are given brutal reality by moderator Dana Perino – and refuse to answer when asked who should drop out to help defeat the former president

Two men are dead and three injured in ‘crew on crew’ shooting in DC after ‘100 rounds are fired from automatic weapons that turned the city into a ‘war zone’: Cops hunt three suspects

Exercising positively impacts brain health of obese people

Up next

Author

shalw

Tags

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You May Also Like