Many people are aware how walking can increase life span and keep the heart healthy. A recent research however suggests that it is not just the heart that benefits from regular walks; the human brain also benefits from this exercise.
According to Fitness, spending at least 20 to 25 minutes for a walk daily can make someone's life longer and produce anti-aging benefits. In fact, it can extend a person's life by seven years. And this is not the only good thing that people can get from walking, because the researchers from New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) have found that when a person walks, the foot's impact sends pressure waves through the arteries. This event modifies and increases the blood supply to the brain.
It was only when this study was conducted that the researchers discovered that exercise actually can make an impact or changes in the blood supply to the brain, Science Daily reported. In the study, the team of researchers have used non-invasive ultrasound so as to be able to measure internal carotid artery blood velocity waves and arterial diameters to calculate hemispheric CBF to both sides of the brain of the participants. There were 12 healthy young adults who participated in the study who were asked to stand upright rest and do steady walking.
What the researchers have found was that walking produced larger pressure waves in the body which increases the blood flow to the brain, compared to running. The researchers wrote that because of their study, they have finally measured foot impacts and its effects on blood flow. And that brain blood flow is very dynamic and is dependent on the pressures that interact with the retrograde pressure pulses from foot impacts.
