经常下楼梯或可帮助有效抑制痴呆症的发生

图片来源：medicalxpress.com

2016年6月13日 讯 /生物谷BIOON/ --一般我们都认为锻炼对机体健康有益，但近日一组来自伊迪斯科文大学(Edith Cowan University)的研究人员通过研究发现，对于老年人而言，下楼梯或可帮助预防其认知能力下降，认知能力下降往往是某些疾病比如痴呆症和阿尔兹海默氏症的前兆。

进行离心型运动需要更多的脑力，而离心型运动或使得收缩的肌肉拉伸而并不是缩短，而这一运动就可以帮助抑制机体认知能力下降。这项研究结果是研究人员对年龄在60至76岁间的26名男性进行研究发现的，研究人员让参与者进行离心型和向心型运动超过12周，同时对参与者的健康和机体适应性进行监测。

结果表明，进行离心型运动对心率、血压、体能、机体葡萄糖、血脂特性及胰岛素敏感性都非常有益；在另一项研究中，研究者让超重的老年女性个体每周两次上下楼梯，相比上楼梯的研究对象而言，下楼梯往往对个体更加有益。同时，研究者让退休人员参加了一项为期12周的“保持敏锐性”（Stay Sharp）试点计划，在参与者进行多种离心型运动的同时研究者对其进行监测，这些锻炼包括下楼梯、倾斜坐下、缓慢躺下以及进行哑铃训练。

研究者Nosaka教授指出，离心型运动在新陈代谢上并不具有挑战性，其非常容易进行，而且不断重复会明显增强机体的肌肉量和肌肉强度。当机体停止前进时，前部紧张的肌肉就会延长，相比较而言，在下楼梯时前部紧张的肌肉就会进行向心性收缩。研究者认为，离心型运动需要更多的认知需求，而这也可以帮助有效抑制机体认知能力下降。

这项研究表明，离心型锻炼方式或可帮助改善机体的胰岛素敏感性及血脂特性，帮助降低静息血压以及动脉僵硬程度，而这也意味着，进行此类锻炼的个体患糖尿病的风险及心血管压力的风险会降低；有研究表明糖尿病是引发痴呆症的原因之一，因此如果离心型运动可以改善胰岛素敏感性，那么这种运动方式或许就可以有效抑制痴呆症的发生。

如今研究者并不是非常清楚离心型运动如何影响机体的认知功能，而且这种运动方式对于所有年龄段的个体均有益处，未来研究者还将扩大当前的研究范围，他们将去检测离心型运动对认知功能的急性效应。（生物谷Bioon.com）

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Walking down stairs could help prevent dementia

We're pretty familiar with the notion that exercise is good for our health. But new WA research suggests that something as simple as encouraging the elderly to walk down a flight of stairs could help prevent cognitive decline, a precursor to diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's.

Undertaking 'eccentric' exercise—where contracting muscles are lengthened rather than shortened—requires more brain power, which may help in preventing cognitive decline, Edith Cowan University Professor Ken Nosaka says.

This view is based on a number of studies including one in which 26 men between ages 60 and 76 followed a regime of eccentric versus concentric exercises (where the muscle is activated and shortened) over 12 weeks.

Their health and fitness was monitored, showing that performing eccentric exercises was more beneficial in terms of heart rate, blood pressure, physical fitness, glucose, blood lipid profile and insulin sensitivity.

In another study, elderly overweight women walked either up or down a flight of stairs twice a week, with better outcomes in the descending group rather than the ascending group.

Meanwhile, retirees at the Rod Evans Community Centre in Perth are taking part in a 12-week 'Stay Sharp' pilot program where they are monitored over time while performing various eccentric exercises.

These exercises include walking down stairs and slopes, sitting down and lying down slowly and lowering a dumbbell slowly.

Prof Nosaka says eccentric exercise is less metabolically challenging, easy to undertake and when repeatedly performed, results in greater increases in muscle strength and mass.

"The front tight muscles are lengthened when stopping the body moving forward, in contrast to walking up stairs where the front tight muscles are basically performing concentric contractions," Prof Nosaka says......