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Pedaling Against Dementia: How Cycling Preserves Brain Health & Prevents Cognitive Decline

The AHA! Team — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 05:06:01 +0000

S.D. Wells via Natural News – Cycling preserves brain health and prevents cognitive decline – per study published in JAMA Network Open Medical doctors in America would have us all believe that as we age, we fall apart and there’s nothing we can do about it. They tell us it’s normal to die by 75 of a heart attack, diabetes, obesity, cancer or … wait for it… dementia. Our brains just “get old” and it’s “genetics” so all we can do is treat the symptoms and try to extend your life a few years with medications. Lie. Try exercising and eating clean. That would include cycling, which studies show prevents cognitive decline and dementia. Who knew? Time to hop on your bike this summer and have some fun, so you can have a healthy brain forever! Cycling Prevents Cognitive Decline: A JAMA Network Open study tracking nearly 500,000 people over 13 years found that cyclists had significantly lower dementia rates and greater brain volume in memory-related regions compared to non-cyclists. Superior Brain Protection: Cyclists showed a 19% lower risk of all-cause dementia, 22% reduced Alzheimer’s risk, and a 40% drop in young-onset dementia risk—outperforming walking, driving, or public transit. Dynamic Brain Stimulation: Cycling’s combination of navigation, balance, and decision-making creates a “cognitively enriched environment,” increasing gray matter in 10 brain regions and promoting neurogenesis. Genetics & E-Bike Caveats: Those without the APOE ?4 gene saw a 26% lower dementia risk, while e-bikes may weaken benefits by reducing physical/cognitive effort. Traditional cycling’s demands are key. Cycling preserves brain health and prevents cognitive decline – per study published in JAMA Network Open In an era where dementia cases are projected to triple by 2050, scientists have uncovered a surprisingly simple and cost-effective way to protect the brain: cycling. A groundbreaking study published in JAMA Network Open tracked nearly half a million individuals over 13 years and found that cyclists had significantly lower rates of dementia and maintained greater brain volume in memory-related regions compared to those who walked, drove, or took public transit. The findings suggest that cycling doesn’t just boost physical health—it actively shields the brain from degeneration. The study compared how different modes of transportation affected dementia risk, with striking results. Cyclists showed a 19% lower risk of all-cause dementia compared to car or public transit users. For Alzheimer’s disease specifically, the protection jumped to 22%, while the risk of young-onset dementia plummeted by 40%. What set cycling apart was its impact on the hippocampus, the brain region critical for memory and learning. Cyclists retained more gray matter in this area, suggesting the activity doesn’t just slow cognitive decline—it may actively fortify brain structure. Walking, by contrast, showed minimal benefits, while driving or bus riding fell somewhere in between. The secret lies in the cognitive demands of cycling. Unlike passive transportation, cycling requires real-time navigation, hazard assessment, balance, and decision-making—all while elevating heart rate. This combination creates a “cognitively enriched environment” that stimulates neurogenesis (the growth of new brain cells). The study linked cycling to increased gray matter in 10 different brain regions, offering broad protection against decline. In contrast, repetitive activities like walking on a treadmill or driving the same route daily place the brain on autopilot, missing the dynamic challenges that spur growth. The study revealed that cycling’s protective effects vary by genetics. Participants without the APOE ?4 gene (a known dementia risk factor) saw a 26% reduction in dementia risk, while those with the gene still benefited, albeit at a lower rate (12%). This suggests cycling can help even those predisposed to cognitive decline. However, the rise of electric bikes raises concerns. While convenient, e-bikes reduce the physical and cognitive effort required—potentially diluting cycling’s brain-boosting effects. Traditional cycling’s demands—balance, route planning, and sustained exertion—appear critical to its neurological benefits. For many, cycling infrastructure remains a barrier, but small changes can yield big rewards: Replace short car trips (pharmacy runs, coffee stops) with bike rides. Use bike-sharing programs or join local cycling groups for safer routes. Prioritize safety with helmets, lights, and reflective gear, starting on low-traffic streets. As dementia looms as a global health crisis, this study underscores that one of the most effective prevention tools may be sitting in garages worldwide. Cycling merges physical exercise, mental stimulation, and environmental benefits—all without costly medications or side effects. The evidence is clear: those who cycle regularly aren’t just protecting their hearts and muscles—they’re safeguarding their minds. With dementia rates rising, the choice to pedal today could mean remembering more tomorrow. Tune your internet dial to NaturalMedicine.news for more tips on how to use natural remedies for preventative medicine and for healing, instead of succumbing to Big Pharma products that cause, spread, and exacerbate disease and disorder, including dementia. Sources for this article include: NaturalNews.com Naturalhealth365.com To read the original article, click here

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How to Run Light on Your Feet & Avoid Injury

The AHA! Team — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 05:15:40 +0000

Joe Boland via Dr. Axe – Running is one of the best full-body aerobic exercises known to mankind, great for burning calories and working multiple muscle groups. Unfortunately, it also can lead to common running injuries, such as shin splints, stress fractures or heel spurs. The good news is there is research that may give runners a guide on how to run to avoid injury. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looked at why some longtime runners sustain many injuries while others never experience any injury at all. This is major, since up to 90 percent of runners sustain injuries that lead them to miss training time every year, according to some estimates. Conducted by folks at Harvard Medical School and other universities, the study involved 249 experienced female runners who were all heel strikers, meaning they all strike the ground with their heels when they run. Participants completed questionnaires about injury history and ran on a track with force monitors in order to measure impact loads. The runners were then tracked for two years, with the volunteers using a running diary and injury log during the study time. Over the two years, more than 140 runners reported sustaining injuries, with more than 100 of those injuries requiring medical attention. The other 100 or so reported no injuries, but of greater note to the researchers, 21 also had not had a prior injury either. To determine why this was the case, they turned to impact loading data, comparing the pounding metrics for those who have never been injured to those who have been seriously injured. Just as suspected, the runners who avoided injury landed far more lightly on their feet than those who had been seriously hurt. How to run light on your feet This is a huge breakthrough, since most runners are believed to be heel strikers. Turns out, this running technique does lead to more injuries because heel striking leads to a higher impact load on the foot, leg and body than landing near the middle or front of the foot. In fact, a 2012 study conducted by the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise examined 52 runners, 36 of whom primarily used a rearfoot strike and 16 of whom primarily used a forefoot strike. Researchers found that “approximately 74 percent of runners experienced a moderate or severe injury each year, but those who habitually rearfoot strike had approximately twice the rate of repetitive stress injuries than individuals who habitually forefoot strike.” They ultimately concluded that “runners who habitually rearfoot strike have significantly higher rates of repetitive stress injury than those who mostly forefoot strike.” Another 2014 study published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy also found that rearfoot striking puts more pressure on the lower limbs, particularly the ankles, than forefoot striking. So if you’re wondering how to run optimally to avoid injury, you want to focus on avoiding landing on your heel. Those findings reinforce what was found in this more recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Dr. Irene Davis, the Harvard professor who led the study, said the findings also suggest that thinking about “a soft landing” can help. In addition, she provided some additional tips on how to run to avoid injury: Experiment with landing closer to the midfoot if you’re a heel striker. Most runners naturally land more lightly when they don’t lead with the heel. Slightly increase cadence — the number of steps you take per minute. This seems to reduce pounding from each stride. Imagine you’re running on eggshells or attempting to “run on water,” so to speak, trying to remain light on your feet. Davis’ Harvard colleague, professor Daniel E. Lieberman, had a few more tips on how to run properly as well: Don’t overstride. It places a big impact and shock wave that travels up your body. It also causes a deceleration of the body, so you have to work harder to keep your stride. If you focus on forefoot striking too much, you may overstride and cause more stress. Conversely, as we’ve noted, heel striking is bad. So focus on a flat-foot, midfoot strike. A very pronounced forefront or rearfoot strike is bad. Increase your stride rate. A high stride rate keeps your stride short and your bounce springy. Upright posture is important. If you lean forward, it puts big angular torque on your upper body, causing your body to want to fall forward, putting more stress on your lower body. Be relaxed. Don’t waste effort by tensing your upper body. If you’re a newer runner and wondering how to run from the get-go to avoid injury, keep these running tips for beginners in mind as well, in addition to this research: Warm up. Set a goal, and run consistently. Incorporate burst training. Cross-train. Get the right pre- and post-run fuel. Choose the right shoes. Watch out for uneven surfaces. Listen to your body. Stretch. Final thoughts Changing your running style is not necessarily easy, but it can really have an impact — no pun intended — on your injury incidence. Most people are heel strikers when they run, but this is actually detrimental and leads to more injury. Numerous studies have confirmed this, noting that rearfoot strikers put more impact and strain on their limbs than midfoot or forefoot strikers. Seeing as running injuries are so common and can interfere with exercise and training, it’s wise to focus on your running technique. Here are some tips on how to run with proper running technique by staying light on your feet to avoid injury: Warm up. Set a goal, and run consistently. Incorporate burst training. Cross-train. Get the right pre- and post-run fuel. Choose the right shoes. Watch out for uneven surfaces. Listen to your body. Stretch. Think about a soft landing. Focus on landing closer to your midfoot. Slightly increase your cadence, and potentially shorten your stride. Try imagining you’re running on eggshells or attempting to run on water to remain light on your feet. Don’t overstride. Land flat-footed or close to it. Run with upright posture. Be relaxed. To read the original article click here.

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Exploring the Obesity Paradox

The AHA! Team — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 05:24:39 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – How do we explain studies that suggest overweight individuals live longer? Martin Luther King Jr. warned that human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable, and the same may be true of the human lifespan. In the 1800s, life expectancy was less than 40 years, but it has been “advancing steadily” over the last two centuries, “increasing at approximately 2 years per decade”—until recently. Longevity gains appear “to be faltering or even being reversed.” Thanks to the obesity epidemic, we may now be raising the first generation to live shorter lives than their parents. A downward trend in longevity “This downward trend in longevity will almost certainly accelerate as the current generation of children—with higher body weights from earlier in life than ever before—reaches adulthood.” Current trends “potentially signal a looming social and economic catastrophe” if the obesity epidemic continues unchecked. In the coming decades, some predict we may lose two to five years or more of life expectancy in the United States. To put that into perspective, a miracle cure for all forms of cancer would only add three and a half years to the average U.S. life expectancy. In other words, reversing the obesity epidemic might save more lives than curing cancer. The evidence that being overweight increases our risk for debilitating diseases like diabetes is considered “indisputable.” However, surprisingly, there is controversy surrounding body weight and overall mortality. In 2013, scientists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a meta-analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggesting that being overweight was advantageous. Grades 2 and 3 obesity, such as being an average height of 5’6″ and weighing about 216 pounds (98 kg) or more, were associated with living a shorter life, but grade 1 obesity, weighing about 185 to 215 pounds (84 to 97 kg) at that height, was not. Being overweight (about 155 to 185 pounds/70 to 83 kg at 5’6″) appeared to be protective compared to those who were a “normal weight” of 115 to 155 pounds (52 to 69 kg). The overweight individuals, those with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30, appeared to live the longest. Headline writers were giddy. “Being overweight can extend your life rather than shorten it,” read one. “Dreading your diet? Don’t worry—plump people live LONGER than their skinnier counterparts…” read another. “Extra pounds mean a lower chance of death.” Not surprisingly, the study ignited a firestorm of controversy in the public health community. The study was called “ludicrous,” “flawed,” and “misleading.” The chair of nutrition at Harvard lost his cool, calling the study “really a pile of rubbish” and fearing the food industry might exploit the study in the same way the petroleum industry misuses “controversy” over climate change. Public health advocates can’t just dismiss data they find inconvenient, though. Science is science. But how could being overweight increase the risk of life-threatening diseases, yet, at the same time, make you live longer? This became known as “The Obesity Paradox,” the subject of my video Is the Obesity Paradox Real or a Myth?. The solution to the puzzle appears to lie with two major sources of bias, the first being “confounding by smoking.” The nicotine in tobacco can lead to weight loss. So, if you’re skinnier because you smoke, then no wonder you’d live a shorter life, albeit with a slimmer waist. The failure to control for the effect of smoking in studies purporting to show an “obesity paradox” leads to the dangers of obesity being “grossly underestimated.” The second major source of bias is reverse causality. Instead of lower weight leading to life-threatening diseases, isn’t it more likely that life-threatening diseases lead to lower weight? Conditions such as hidden tumors, chronic heart or lung disease, alcoholism, and depression can all cause unintentional weight loss for months or even years before they are even diagnosed. It’s normal to be overweight in the United States, for example. So, people who are “abnormally” thin—in other words, at an ideal weight—may be taking care of themselves, but they may instead be “heavy smokers, frail and elderly, and seriously ill with weight loss due to their disease…” To put the obesity paradox to the test once and for all, The Global BMI Mortality Collaboration was formed, reviewing data from more than 10 million people from hundreds of studies in dozens of countries—the largest evaluation of BMI and mortality in history. To help eliminate bias, the researchers omitted smokers and those with known chronic disease, then excluded the first five years of follow-up to try to remove from the analysis those with undiagnosed conditions who lost weight due to an impending death. And? The results were clear: “This analysis has shown that both overweight and obesity (all grades) were associated with increased all-cause mortality”—a greater risk of dying prematurely. So, “adjusting for these biases leads to eliminating the obesity paradox.” In other words, the so-called obesity paradox appears to be “just a myth.” Indeed, when intentional weight loss is put to the test, people live longer. There are bariatric surgery studies like the SOS trial that show that weight loss reduces long-term mortality, and randomizing study participants to weight loss through lifestyle changes shows the same thing. Losing a dozen pounds through diet and exercise was found to be associated with a 15 percent drop in overall mortality. Now, exercise alone may extend lifespan even without weight loss, but there appears to be a similar longevity benefit of weight loss through dietary means alone. If you missed the previous blog posts in my series on the ABCs of obesity, see: The Best Knee Replacement Alternative for Osteoarthritis Treatment The Effects of Obesity on Back Pain, Blood Pressure, Cancer, and Diabetes The Effects of Obesity on Dementia, Brain Function, and Fertility The Effects of Obesity on Gallstones, Acid Reflux, and Cardiovascular Disease The Effects of Obesity on the Immune System and Kidney and Liver Diseases Check out the final two videos in this series: What’s the Ideal BMI? and What’s the Ideal Waist Size?. I cover all of this and more at length in my book How Not to Diet, and its companion, The How Not to Diet Cookbook, has more than 100 delicious Green-Light recipes that incorporate some of my 21 Tweaks for the acceleration of body fat loss. Why are people obese in the first place? I have a whole series of videos on that topic. Check the videos in the related posts. Key Takeaways Rising obesity rates may lead to shorter life expectancy for future generations, reversing centuries of progress in longevity. Studies suggesting that being overweight might extend life were biased due to confounding factors like smoking and reverse causality (diseases causing weight loss), and later analysis disproved the so-called obesity paradox. A large-scale review showed that both overweight and obesity are linked to a higher risk of premature death, contradicting earlier claims of protective benefits from being overweight. Intentional weight loss, whether through lifestyle changes or bariatric surgery, is associated with lower mortality rates and improved long-term health outcomes. Tackling obesity may have a greater impact on life expectancy than even a hypothetical cure for all cancers, highlighting obesity’s significant health risks. To read the original article click here.

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The Big Cardio Lie Continues…

The AHA! Team — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 05:32:07 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – The Big Cardio Lie Continues… For 10 years, long-distance runner Ryan Hall held the U.S. record in the half marathon. He was the first person to break the one-hour barrier in that race. And his time in the Boston Marathon remains the fastest for any American athlete. Ryan trained hard. And he trained often. Until he was forced to retire at the age of 33 because his strength was sapped and his fatigue extreme. By the end of his career, the 5’10” former Olympian weighed a paltry 127 pounds. He admits his grinding workouts left him “weak and underdeveloped.” Today, he’s gained almost 40 pounds of pure muscle — and says he couldn’t be happier. His new workout routine includes intense drills with short rest periods between sets. More on that in a moment… Most of the running world was shocked when Hall retired at such an early age. But I wasn’t at all surprised when I heard. You see, along with being an anti-aging doctor, I’m a certified personal trainer. I spent years working with athletes. And I saw what long-distance running and endurance training did to their bodies. This type of cardio exercise causes your muscles to simply waste away. “Cardio” is short for cardiovascular endurance training. It’s the idea that you have to raise your heart rate for a long duration. It’s when you spend 45 minutes on a treadmill, run for miles a day, or take an hour-long aerobics class. This kind of exercise is just not natural. Our ancestors didn’t go jogging. They had short bursts of action, followed by longer periods of rest. And it’s how they stayed strong and healthy with powerful muscles. Unlike the stressed-out, weak muscles of long-distance runners like Ryan Hall. Endurance exercise quickly burns through carbs and fat. This forces your body to break down muscle to help meet energy needs. It also uses your smaller, more oxygen-efficient muscle fibers and ignores your larger, more powerful muscle fibers that actually trigger muscle-building. One study showed that the muscles of marathon runners actually shrink. When the muscle biopsies of marathon runners were analyzed, researchers found their muscle fiber size had decreased and atrophied.1 The way to build strong muscles that keep you healthy is to shorten the duration of your exertion but increase the challenge. That’s the philosophy behind my PACE principle. PACE stands for Progressively Accelerating Cardiopulmonary Exertion, and the concept is pretty simple: short, progressively accelerated bursts of intense exercise followed by rest. And the research proves it works… One study followed women over the age of 80. Three times a week they did short but intense exercise routines similar to PACE. After just 36 sessions they increased their lower-body muscle mass by 26% and their leg muscle power by 31%.2 There are a lot of ways to do PACE, but for building strength, your best bet is to do resistance training exercises. But you don’t need to use weights or join a gym. Your body is the only equipment you need. I’m talking about calisthenics, which use the resistance of your own body weight to make you stronger (they’ll help you burn extra fat, too). And you’ll see and feel results almost immediately. In one study, 21 frail, elderly subjects took part in resistance training. After just 11 weeks, their muscle fiber increased by up to 60%.3 But another study really made me sit up and take notice… In this study, researchers took muscle samples from both young and older adults. The seniors were 59% weaker at the start of the study than the young people. The older group did resistance calisthenics three times a week. After six weeks, the older group improved their muscle strength by about 50%. But there was an even more remarkable side effect. Their muscle tissue was rejuvenated. In fact, most of the genes that express aging were reversed back to younger levels!4 Grow Your Muscles While Reversing Aging I’ve helped hundreds of people increase muscle mass with my PACE principle. To get the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time, I recommend starting with one of the largest muscles in your body. Those are the quadriceps on the front of your thighs. NOTE: Anyone can do PACE. You don’t have to be in great shape to start. That’s the beauty of this program. All you need to remember is that no matter where you start, you just need to keep increasing the challenge. And to rest and recover fully between each period of exertion. Here’s one of my favorite quad-builders: Jump Squats Start with your body crouched, feet together, arms extended down, head straight and level. From this position, straighten your legs and jump upward as high as you can into the air. Once you have landed, quickly return to your original starting position, taking care not to lose your balance throughout the exercise. Repeat. It will take you a few sessions to build up your stamina. Start slowly. If you’re a beginner or have trouble with your knees, you can take out the jump and just push yourself up on your toes. Take plenty of time to build up your strength, endurance and balance gradually. Rest and recover between sets. At first, you’ll have to take longer breaks, but they’ll get shorter as you rebuild your natural strength. To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS References: Trappe S, et al. “Single muscle fiber adaptations with marathon training.” J Appl Physiol. 101:721-727, 2006. Raue U, et al. “Improvements in whole muscle and myocellular function are limited with high-intensity resistance training in octogenarian women.” J Appl Physiol. 2009;106(5):1611-7. LaStayo P, et al. “The positive effects of negative work: increased muscle strength and decreased fall risk in a frail elderly population.” J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003; 58(5):M419-424. Melov S, et al. “Resistance exercise reverses aging in human skeletal muscle.” PLoS ONE. 2007; 2:e465. To read the original article about The Big Cardio Lie click here.

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