It turns out that Sammy Sosa and Floyd Landis may not be lying – new research says they may really not remember how all those drugs got in their system. Apparently all the exercise got to ’em. For myself, not being a professional athlete, I thought my steadily declining memory was all my children’s fault. Seriously, when you have to remember the exact location of 4 sippy cups, 3 lovies, and 6 flip-flops at all times things like the periodic table and who was president before Regan go right out the window. A recent study out of the University of Toronto exonerates the lot of us, saying that chronic strenuous exercise may be partly to blame for cognitive decline.
Awesome.
Following in the footsteps of money, celebrity and Jell-O, exercise provides yet another example of when some is good, more is not necessarily better. While many studies have shown a positive correlation between exercise and memory improvement, that goes out the window when you separate moderate from strenuous exercise. This new study performed on recently menopausal women with a long history of exercise showed that when the women performed consistent moderate exercise such as “brisk walking, golf, volleyball, cycling on level streets, recreational tennis, and softball” their cognitive functions improved. In a sad twist of research karma, women who consistently performed strenuous activities defined as “swimming laps, aerobics, calisthenics, running, jogging, basketball, cycling on hills, and racquetball” showed a sharp decline in eight different measures of cognitive ability, the most pronounced losses being in memory, recall and attention. And no, boxing was not mentioned in the study so y’all can rule out blows to the head as an explanation.
While the lead researcher Mary C. Tierney, PhD, cautions that one study does not prove causation and other variables may be present, she adds, “It wouldn’t hurt to do a trade-off. Don’t be sedentary, but don’t push yourself too far either. After 15 minutes on the treadmill, take a brisk walk rather than a long run.”
The Downsides of the Study
– It only studied 90 women. That’s not a very big pool from which to make generalizations. And why only women?
– Other variables, such as stress, could be causing the women to exercise too much and it could be the stress doing the brain damage. (Although seeing as I, and many people I know, use strenuous exercise as a way to moderate stress this doesn’t really help.)
– It was based on the women’s recall of how much and how intensely they had exercised over the past few years. Self reporting is notoriously inaccurate. (Although one would assume women would would lie saying they’d done more exercise than they really had, not less thereby reinforcing the study’s results.)
The Upsides of the Study
– It has a scientific premise backed by other research. The study is based on previous research that showed that strenuous exercise reduces breast cancer risk by reducing estrogen levels. Unfortunately estrogen protects brain function so long-term estrogen reduction would, theoretically, lead to brain deterioration. Which is what the study found.
– This is not justification to sit on your butt. The findings support other studies that have found moderate exercise to enhance cognitive function. In fact, the more moderate exercise a woman did, the sharper her memory.
– Researchers did account for “age, education, smoking, and other risk factors for cognitive impairment.”
– The study is backed by animal research that showed similar findings in rats.
Conclusions
So much for the “go hard or go home” mentality. Seeing as I am one of those people who likes to push myself till I puke and loves nothing more than a really intense workout, this is not good research news for me. Back when I was in eating disorder counseling for compulsive over exercise, I remember my therapists telling me all the ways that strenuous exercise harmed the body and while impaired cognitive function wasn’t on their list then (although amenorrhea, injuries, heart damage and other fun things were), that reason might have been the one that would have affected me the most.
You know that game everyone plays: Would You Rather? Basically you make up two awful scenarios and then ask the person which one they would rather do. My kids adore this game – their fave is “Would you rather jump into a volcano or have a boulder of poo fall on your head?” But one I’ve heard a lot of adults ask is the sobering, “Would you rather get Alzheimer’s (where you lose your mind but keep your body) or Parkinson’s (where you lose bodily control but keep your sanity)?” At the risk of sounding insensitive to the horror of either disorder (please don’t e-mail me or comment than I’m making a joke at the expense of people with a serious illness), I’ve always answered Parkinson’s. Not that I want either one but my mental acuity is far more important to me than my body.
Thankfully, if the findings of this research are true, the answer is simple: get plenty of moderate exercise but keep the strenuous stuff low and short. Either that or be born with a freakishly large heart like Lance Armstrong so you don’t need the drugs to do the exercise.
Your turn: What do you think of this study? Does it support what you already thought or was it as surprising to you as it was to me? And there’s no mention of weight lifting – do you think this only applies to cardio? Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s? And, if you must, Volcano or Poo Boulder?
i really have no idea what to think … except that i don't think my memory is faltering. yet.
however, i will answer poo boulder over volcano. i won't be dead and i can just live in the shower for a week. 😉
T – Unless the boulder is so big that you SUFFOCATE in poo. See, my toddlers and I, we've discussed this:)
I can suffocate from poo…after all, I almost do every time I change my 2 year old's diaper 🙁
Parkinson's definitely. My Grandpa has Alzheimer's and it breaks his heart and everyone who loves him too.
I don't exercise very much at all, so my brain cells must be at genius level.
Let's see, the last time I went for a run was…umm…wait. Where am I? Who are you? What is this strange glowing box that I'm staring at?
This allows me to add a new amendment to my favorite adage: "All things in moderation, including religion and exercise."
As far as cardio vs. weightlifting, could it be as easy as oxygen supply to the brain? You're exercising so often that oxygen isn't actually making it to the brain in order to help heal tissue damage in muscles and the brain tissue begins to atrophy? Perhaps? I'm not a research scientist, but could it be?
I'm going to have to agree with Charlotte on this one and say Parkinson's. I value the photographic memory I have and wouldn't trade it for anything. Add to that the serious effect I've seen Alzheimer's have on close friends and family and Parkinson's wins. Hands down.
Poo Boulder, only because one of my biggest fears is not heights, but falling from heights. Chances are good that unless I'm falling into an erupting volcano, the fall is going to be long with the added bonus of burning to death. Not that suffocating with lungs full of poo is any better, but at least there's the chance for survival.
Definitely opting for the boulder of poo. On a more serious note, I suspect that "chronic" is the important negative word in the study you reference, not "strenuous." I think, and my own experience bears this out, that really intense, strenuous workouts improve cognitive function, as long as they are brief (under 1 hour) and intermittent: every day CANNOT be the hardest ever. You need time to recover between bouts of really hard work. I tend to favor workouts with weights for my "hard" days, which usually come twice a week–unless I am resting that week, in which case I do not do anything hard. I typically rest every fifth week (after four weeks of daily exercise, two of those days incorporating a meeting with my maker in the gym). I find this schedule gives me great benefits in terms of physical and mental development, as long as I remember to rest before and after the "hard" days. Some of my best ideas ever (I am a grad student) have come to me after 30-45 min of back-busting labor. My active rest workouts frequently incorporate things like sprints, martial arts kata, and long walks with my family. Take that for what it's worth. It really hits the spot for me.
Jim – Missing the point here. Plus – no poo??
Joshua – Well, if the researchers estrogen theory is correct then that means weight lifting should have the same effect as the cardio. And also – I just thought of this – it would also mean that women are smarter than men:) PS> I wish I had a photographic memory!
I saw this study also. They only studied women, what was that all about? Maybe all the men they asked forgot to show up?
I've been a chronic exerciser for a while, I know it has helped me with being creative and alert. Maybe I'm not old enough to see the downside yet.
I think I'll just wait for the next installment. Off for a run now
🙂
Do you have a link to the actual study? I wonder what they were talking about in terms of exercise frequency. I'd also like to know what the effects of a mixed workout plan would be.
I work out 6 days a week, but I would only call about half of those days "strenuous." I run 3 or 4 miles 2 or 3 days a week, devote 1 day to weight training, and do 2 or 3 days of yoga or pilates. I don't think my body would be able to handle hard cardio more frequently than that.
Banging head on table at these kinds of studies.
First of all…as a great coach once said:
"If we waited for science to validate everything we would still be high jumping 7 feet."
For the record the mark is now just over 8 feet (and yes I am taking performance enhancing drugs into account!)
The details of that study seem to be lacking. How intense were the sessions? How long? How often? What ages? Nutritional backgrounds? Blood sugar levels before and after exercise? Doesn't really prove much, if anything.
I have been saying for years that (especially as I/we age) exercise sessions need to be short and hard. 30 – 45 minutes works well, but once you learn how to do it, 20 minutes can make for top notch results.
Memory problems? Not sure about that. My experience is that as we get older our minds become more and more filled with so much crap that it becomes harder to keep it all straight.
Paying the bills, all the details concerning the kids, work and all it's many details and demands, hobbies and of course the biggest monster of all. The thing that I am using right now at this very moment. The internet. The king of filling our minds with stuff that we don't really need. Lots of nice to haves but not need to haves.
I balance out my exercise with hard sessions and easier sessions. Kettlebells, the occasional sandbag or something, body weight exercise, yoga, and internal martial arts. Different speeds, and always paying attention to the basics. Paying attention to breathing depending on the exercise and well….It works great so far, and at 49 years old, dare I say, I am …uhhh, let's see what was I saying? Something about Michael Jackson? Uhmm, oh yeah. Like most studies the results are very suspect since there are always SO many variables.
I would say Alzheimers, for selfish reasons. Either one is tough for those around you but I have seen my Mom battle Parkinson's for the past 15 years and she is aware of how her body is failing her. With Alzheimers, at least I would not be aware of how my mind is failing.
I'm not sure I believe that strenuous exercise inhibits cognitive functions. I'm wary of studies in general. There are many random variables to account for, and results are dependent on how well scientists were able to isolate those variables. There's also the fact that studies are constantly contradicting each other. For example Marathon Mama recently wrote a post citing a study that states strenuous exercise makes you smarter. In short, I don't plan to stop my marathon training.
Just in case you might be interested, here's the Scientific American article.
I am with Dr. J… I am going to continue my program & I have changed it with time & I am sure I will again. Right now, it is working for me but I know as I age, I will have to modify. Honestly, I did not have the best memory when I was younger either so I will just wait this one out. I have never been the smartest cookie on the block so I am used to this! 🙂
I have always loved Kermit the Frog – that was very funny. I don't know what I think about the study. Sometimes the slightest variation in results gets presented as "all or nothing" when in reality it doesn't make a significant difference.
Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s? I don't know. My grandfather had Alzheimer's and the earlier stages were the worst because he was aware of what was happening. I have met people in nursing homes who had the full on Alzheimer's who were happy as a clam because they thought they were in the first grade and waiting for the ice cream truck to come along. I think Parkinson's might be worse because you are fully aware of your own deterioration.
Personally, I would rather die in my sleep or have a piano fall on me – quick and easy.
Sigh. I find this VERY depressing. I already notice a decline in memory and cognition and reaction time and I haven't hit 50 yet.
Yet in so many other ways I know that regular, aerobic, huffy-puffy exercise is good for me! I find this study a bit hard to dismiss though, so will be looking for follow-ups.
Yeah, I have serious ADD (haven't been tested, but have had many people comment about my short attention span.) My theory is that my mind is so smart that I need to keep it entertained 🙂
I'm still going to finish my marathon, but to be honest, the study does worry me. I can be even MORE ADD? No good.
And I'd rather have a poo-boulder. Volunteering at the shelter has decreased the grossness of poo to me. Not that I'd WANT to go swimming in it, but…falling to a certain fiery death seems much worse.
I had a comment, but I can't remember what it was…
(Sorry, couldn't help myself!)
I honestly don't know what to make of this study, but I'd probably choose the boulder of poo. Only because, at this point, after 2 kids, 4 dogs, 2 cats and 1 husband, I've built up an immunity to it.
+1 for poo boulder. Unless it's a suffocating poo boulder then I'll take the volcano.
I think I'll stick with what I'm doing and go ahead and wait for a larger sample size to roll in to worry about anything. I kinda like my strenuous stuff. I also wonder if the researcher had some sort of hidden agenda (cue the tinfoil hats)… but I gotta say – I am NOT going to run for 15 minutes and then go for a nice little walk. Are we back to the days when women were banned from marathons because it was "too strenuous"? Bleh.
It has to be better for me than smoking a pack a day, drinking a lot, and eating fast food 3 times a day, right? 🙂
I'm a trained, non-practicing CNA. During my training, in a nursing home (I HATE NURSING HOMES), I saw many degrees of old age hitting many different people. It was during that 2 weeks of clinicals that I decided I either want to keep myself in the best physical condition that I can for my entire life, because I'll be damned if people have to help me to the bathroom or feed me or bathe me…or I want to die before I ever hit the stage where I'd need any of that. Losing my mind scares me because I pride myself on my intelligence. However, keeping my sanity and being as alert and knowledgable as I am, but living in basically a shell that will no longer function in the ways I would need to be able to take care of myself is much, much more terrifying.
Darling, the president was Reagan. Regan was his secretary of state for a spell. I'm a Spin instructor and I remember that ancient history so I hope that means the vigorous exercise isn't making me stupid! Really, there are a lot of problems in this study: 90 people is insignificant. What sort of testing was used before, during, after the study? Are we sure that the study was double blind? What kind of doctor is Mary C. Tierney, PhD, (clearly not a neurologist). While Mary C. Tiery "cautions that one study does not prove causation," she still tells us to modify our behavior according to the results of her single, tiny study. She should do a lot more work before she makes those recomendations.
I'll take the volcano: I enjoy heat plus it's a quick, exciting, full color death! I've watched people with degenerative shaking in my family and it's not nice when you can't hold a book anymore, write your name, or pour milk.
Anon – REAGAN! You are right. Spell check can't catch idiot errors;) Thanks for the correction! And no, the study was not double blind – it was self-report.
It’s true! May of last year I started working out intensely, almost 3 times a week (Heavy weight lifting). I gained about 35 lbs in total and looked great. BUT I noticed that my cognitive skills were were weakening. I wasn’t a genius or anything to begin with; let’s say relatively decent IQ. I began to get frustrated with simple computations and my study hours increased. So, I reckoned that it was the work out that was making me dumb or dumber. I credited it to increased skeletal muscle metabolism competing for oxygen and glucose among other nutrients. And I’m speculating that in response to decreased availability of the glucose, the brain may “shunt” resources to the most pressing operations, resulting in overall lowered “smartness”. The body has this compensatory mechanisms all over so I am not one bit surprised.
Pretty obvious I think. Exercising takes a huge toll on your body, even if you are in shape, compared to not exercising. So IMO if you don’t supercharge your system with an additional abundance of calories and nutrients you definitely would cause your body to divert energy from maintaining the brain at previous cognitive levels.
Wanted very good writeup. It if truth be told used to be a pleasure account that. Peek difficult to help more launched acceptable within you! On the other hand, the best way can we all keep up to date your distance learning?
If the researchers estrogen theory is correct then that means working long shift at the jobs that demand physical activity should have the same effect on one’s cognitive ability. I had a desk job and shifted to physically demanding job and noticed that it negatively affected my concentration and memory.
What did you say?