Exercise For The Brain
Optimum Nutrition|Autumn 2018

We often talk about the benefits of exercise in physical terms; building lean muscle or increasing stamina make it easier to carry out everyday activities like climbing the stairs or running for the bus. The connection between exercise and the brain, however, is less clear.

Alice Ball
Exercise For The Brain
When it comes to the brain-benefits of exercise, we might vaguely throw around the terms ‘endorphin rush’ or ‘runner’s high’, but what do they really mean? And is it possible for even the biggest fitness-phobe to achieve one?

First things first, the so-called runner’s high is real, and even if pounding the pavements isn’t your thing, non-runners can still experience this sense of elation after a workout. Any exercise puts the body under stress and pain; and since the 1970s, it’s been assumed that the body’s response to exercise-induced stress is to trigger the release of endorphins — neurotransmitters produced by the brain’s hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Endorphins are structurally similar to the drug morphine and have similar opiate effects in relieving pain and boosting feelings of pleasure and euphoria.

But Dr Michael Mosley, TV presenter and science journalist, told Optimum Nutrition that while studies show endorphin levels in the blood spike after exercise, there is one major “incompletion” in the hypothesis. Endorphin molecules are too big to cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning it’s unlikely that they have a direct effect on brain function during exercise.

“Instead, there is mounting evidence for the importance of endocannabinoids (eCBs) when it comes to explaining the athlete’s ‘high’,” he said.

“Endocannabinoids are produced throughout the body and have many functions. As well as making you feel good they reduce inflammation and increase insulin sensitivity, affecting fat and energy metabolism.”

This story is from the Autumn 2018 edition of Optimum Nutrition.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Autumn 2018 edition of Optimum Nutrition.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OPTIMUM NUTRITIONView All
Summer Of
Optimum Nutrition

Summer Of

Summer is when we want to be out and about, as the warm embrace of the sofa on a cold winter’s night becomes a distant memory. So where do you go when the brain is willing but the body just can’t cut it at the same level of performance that it managed decades ago? Graeme Wilcockson reviews a few ways to satisfy those competitive weekend instincts that will tax both mind and body — yet leave you able to move on Monday morning

time-read
7 mins  |
Summer 2016
Common Kitchen Practices Making Us Sick
Optimum Nutrition

Common Kitchen Practices Making Us Sick

Every year, thousands of us fall sick from food poisoning because of how we have handled food. Louise Scodie and Louise Wates look at common ways in which we are going wrong

time-read
6 mins  |
Summer 2017
Could Antioxidants Save Our Bacan?
Optimum Nutrition

Could Antioxidants Save Our Bacan?

Nitrates and nitrites have long been linked to cancer. We look at how they are part of a chain reaction that may not always be harmful to human health... So what’s the case with bacon?

time-read
7 mins  |
Spring 2018
Eat For A Glow That Is More Than Skin Deep
Optimum Nutrition

Eat For A Glow That Is More Than Skin Deep

Now that summer is here, it’s time to peel off the layers and make some vitamin D. But if your skin isn’t as peachy as you would like, or if you are worried about staying safe in the sun, find out how good nutrition may support your skin’s health. Maggie Charlesworth writes

time-read
10 mins  |
Summer 2018
Natural Beauty
Optimum Nutrition

Natural Beauty

If headlines about microbeads from cosmetics polluting our seas have got you wondering how you can do your bit for the environment, try using nature’s harvest to feed your skin. Hannah Maryse Robinson writes

time-read
2 mins  |
Summer 2018
A Summer Selection Of Goods And Goodies
Optimum Nutrition

A Summer Selection Of Goods And Goodies

Lazy Vegan frozen Chunky Pulled Peaz is a gluten-free, plant-based protein source suitable for vegans and — with a substantial texture — flexitarians.

time-read
2 mins  |
Summer 2019
Do Something Different
Optimum Nutrition

Do Something Different

As many of us are concerned about keeping our brains active, Ellie Smith investigates whether trying something completely new could boost both our brain health and mental wellbeing

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2019
Lifting Weights, Lifting Confidence
Optimum Nutrition

Lifting Weights, Lifting Confidence

When Bianca Mills was bullied at school she could not have dreamt that she would be able to speak in front of a group of women, let alone coach them in lifting free weights. She told Louise Wates why she believes buddying-up is just as important as physical strength for fostering confidence

time-read
8 mins  |
Summer 2019
Teaching Children How To Forage
Optimum Nutrition

Teaching Children How To Forage

Catherine Morgan finds out how foraging can teach children (and adults) about more than nature’s store cupboard, and can foster an understanding of and respect for the environment.

time-read
3 mins  |
Summer 2019
Keep Calm And Curry On
Optimum Nutrition

Keep Calm And Curry On

In August, India celebrates the anniversary of Indian Independence, yet the Anglo-Indian community, a legacy of the British Raj with its roots in European and Indian ancestry, still treads the cultural line between both communities. Jenny Mallin, author of A Grandmother’s Legacy, tells us about the fusion food in her family and recipes passed down through the generations

time-read
5 mins  |
Summer 2018