Playing sports is good for the brain. The key connection turns out to be a protein identified by U.S. researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, and described in the study published in Cell Metabolism.
The protein with which a beneficial effect is associated, called FNDC5, is naturally produced by the body through muscular exertion in endurance sports. When the protein reaches the hippocampus, it triggers a reaction that induces an improvement in learning, memory, and more general cognitive function.
Harvard scientists experimented with the possibility of achieving a similar outcome by administering the same protein to guinea pigs not engaged in exercise. The result rewarded the insight, confirming the relationship between protein intake and cognitive well-being. Therefore, the experiment confirms the benefits associated with endurance sports and raises the possibility of developing “functional foods” that stimulate its production. One more tool in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.