By | Daniel Dowling | www.verywellhealth.com
Key Takeaways
- Researchers identified GPLD1, a brain-boosting enzyme, that increases with exercise in mice and humans.
- After a transfusion of this enzyme to sedentary mice through blood plasma, the mice became smarter.
- Packaging this enzyme as an “exercise pill” for humans will require a lot more research and data.
Exercise is one of the most effective ways of promoting brain health and slowing age-related cognitive decline.1 Unfortunately, most people don’t get enough of it. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HSS), only 33% of adults hit the recommended amount of physical activity.2
But sedentary lifestyles may not be so much of a brain drain in the future. According to a new study published in the journal Science on July 10, there might be a way to access the brain-boosting perks of exercise without the effort.3
In the study, researchers from the University of California (UC) transfused blood plasma from well-exercised mice to older sedentary mice. The result was an improvement in cognitive function along with better performances in a maze test.