How to Improve Memory With Just A Little Exercise (And The Right Memory Supplements) – Ground Breaking New Research
How To Improve Memory With Just 10 Mins Exercise – New Research
It is commonly know that aerobic exercise is good for both the body and the brain. Exercise increases endorphins and the production of serotonin in the nervous system as well as increasing the amount of oxygen delivered the brain. This oxygenation of the brain improves blood flow and ultimately helps if you are struggling to improve memory, your focus and concentration as well as your overall brain health and performance.
However, given how complicated our modern day lives are now and how difficult it is to find time in our busy schedules to exercise in a meaningful way, the question is, just how much daily aerobic exercise do we need to do? Specifically what is needed to improve memory and brain health without cutting into the limited amount of valuable amount of time we have available in our day?
The reason this question is important is because it’s human nature to not do the things that are good for us if we don’t see immediate benefit. But since exercise is so important to brain health it is vital to try and understand how much exercise is enough to keep our brains in tiptop condition.
Luckily for all of us, new research from the University of California (UCI) may have found the answer.
How To Improve Memory With Just 10 Mins of Aerobic Exercise A Day and N-Acetylcysteine Based Memory Supplements – UCI Research Study Findings
The UCI study involved two groups of adults aged 50+. The first group had no history of mental illness or memory loss while the second group consisted of individuals who had been struggling with how to improve memory and who had experienced some form of memory loss during their adult lives.
The first group were given a high level dose of the naturally occurring amino acid N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and tested by exercising on stationary bicycles (the type of equipment commonly found in gym spin cycle classes) for less than 10 minutes while the second group were not given NAC and did no exercise at all.
Both groups were then given a saliva test followed by a series of simple memory tests involving the recall of a number of uncomplicated images. Exactly one hour later both groups were then given another saliva test and then asked to recall the images again.
The results were as dramatic as they were surprising; the group that had exercised on the stationary bicycles and were given high doses of NAC were far more successful in remembering more of the images from the memory test then the group who had not exercised at all and didn’t take the NAC. Most surprising of all was that those individuals who had a history of memory loss and had exercised on stationary bicycles while using NAC actually doubled their ability to remember the images.
The test was then repeated a week later with no administration of N-acetylcysteine (NAC). In this instance both groups performed worse in the memory tests than in the tests before but crucially the group that did exercise had a significantly better memory recall than those who didn’t.
Small Amounts of Exercise + High Doses of NAC Memory Supplements = Less Memory Damaging Homocysteine + More Norepinephrine = Improved Memory Performance
The final saliva tests of both cohorts showed that the group who exercised on the stationary bicycles (and had demonstrated better memory recall of the images) had a higher level of the memory boosting neurotransmitter Norepinephrine in their saliva than the group who had not exercised at all.
The results of this research study has led the neuroscientists involved to conclude that very small amounts of aerobic activity (in this case no more than 6 minutes!) will result in the production of the memory boosting neurotransmitter Norepinephrine and this increase in production was higher in individuals who started from a position of poor or declining memory performance.
This study is all the more remarkable because it is the first time that the direct link has been made between using N-acetlycysteine (NAC) with small amounts of aerobic exercise and almost immediate memory recall improvement.
It is important to note that because this is the first comprehensive study of its kind that there is still work to do in establishing a relationship between NAC supplementation, exercise and memory improvement but as researchers plan more detailed studies on the back of this existing one, the answer to the question of how to improve memory may have just got a small step closer
Natural Memory Supplements of the Year 2016
High Concentration N-AcetylCysteine (NAC) Based Formula
Neutralises Memory Damaging Homocysteine Build Up
Clinically Proven To Improve Memory Performance
*SPECIAL OFFER – FREE 1 WHEN YOU BUY 2*
About the Author
Sam Jansen is a leading brain scientist, lawyer and author, studying neuroscience, social behaviours and the science of happiness. You can find him at Google+
Even in the short term, exercise is essential. If I go a few days without I can definitely tell that my cognitive, memory and mood status all go downhill. I wonder how anyone can go without getting exercise..I’d go nuts.
I think the research will continue to consistently point towards the direction of brain health and memory retention.
Thanks for this. I used to play a little brain age game with my husband, who is admittedly smarter, but I always won. I loved getting my best scores after I arrived home from the gym. Great to hear how little it takes. A great place to start….
You say that the first group had no memory loss or mental illness while the second group did. Then the first group gets tested on the bike and the 2nd does no exercise.
Well it should not surprise anyone that the first group did better. They were exercising and had No memory loss or mental illness in the first place. Either the study is flawed or you got a typo.
I will say that exercising has proven to improve memory and overall brain health in other studies I have read. So if you have a typo then the study at UCI makes sense.
You’re right, take the best and give them more advantage, they will do even better. Flunks basic research design requirements verging on not wanting a real test. Requires minimally four groups, two groups each in the respective loss and no loss categories, where compare nothing vs something. Really though it would be 8 groups, comparing 4 conditions each in memory loss vs no loss = [1]nothing, [2]exercise only, [3] Focus only, [4] exercise + focus. Then you could compare all conditions.