It's complicated, as they say, but researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine have learned that exercise (in mice) reduces (by half) the production of protein that tells the stem cells of older people to chill out, and stop dividing quite as often as they had done. The New York Times tells us why no one wants sleepy stem cells, and explains a bit about the research, which revealed that the production of bone-morphogenetic protein or BMP, is directly influenced by exercise. The researchers found that mice given access to running wheels had about 50 percent less
BMP-related brain activity within a week. The same mice, the Times reports, showed a notable
increase in Noggin, a brain protein that acts as a
BMP antagonist. The more Noggin in your brain, the the more stem cell divisions and neurogenesis you
experience.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Saturday, May 31, 2025
After reading the article in the Times, I was left wondering which exercises or type of exercise would be best so as to reap the benefits of the produciton of Noggin.
The mice were doing a form of cardio-aerobic work (the wheel) however, other recent studies have pointed out that a good weight lifting workout, performed without the excess of resting too long between sets, etc., can also be a form of crdio-aerobic work. Would or does such also lead to a the necessary stimulation that produces Noggin?
As one who lifts wieghts regularly (and some would say religiously), I hope that such would be true.
I also study Aikido, a traditional Japanese martial art, and our classes run anywhere from one hour to one and half hours, often followed by an hour or so of weapons work. Such, along with most martial arts practiced in a similar manner would also seem to qualify as cardio-aerobic in nature. Would they also stimulate the production of Noggin?
I don’t know if any of this has lead to making me more intelligent (that would be for others to decide) but it does seem to lower my stress level and it is all enjoyable which makes it worthwhile.
Thanks for the interesting article w/a link.
namaste