cover of episode The truth behind memory loss - and how to stop it with exercise | Dr. Wendy Suzuki

The truth behind memory loss - and how to stop it with exercise | Dr. Wendy Suzuki

2025/2/20
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ZOE Science & Nutrition

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@节目主持人 :我关注到许多运动计划都集中在如何改变我们的外表,例如增加肌肉尺寸或减小腰围。经过多次汗流浃背的训练后,我们可以照镜子,欣赏自己取得的进步。但是,我们是否忽略了身体最重要的部分——隐藏在我们头骨里的器官,也就是我们无法在镜子里看到的大脑? 随着年龄增长,记忆力可能会下降,这可能是因为干扰因素增多,而不是大脑功能本身的衰退。 我们对大脑的运作方式知之甚少,但我们知道,运动可以对大脑产生积极影响,甚至可以预防痴呆症。 我很好奇,如果我目前49岁,身体状况良好,随着年龄增长会发生什么?记忆力是否会持续完美地运作到死亡? @Wendy Suzuki :随着年龄增长,大脑不会萎缩;成年后大脑可以继续生长;某些类型的运动可以让人更聪明;成年后痴呆症的风险并非固定不变;多走路可以降低痴呆症的风险;运动是改善大脑健康最有效的方法。 情绪共鸣、重复、联想和新奇的事物都有助于记忆的巩固。存在多种类型的记忆,由不同的脑结构负责。 随着年龄增长,记忆力下降部分原因是干扰增加,而非大脑功能本身的衰退。压力和焦虑会影响记忆力,但并不意味着患有痴呆症。 阿尔茨海默病会导致海马体细胞死亡,从而影响记忆力。记忆力下降并不等同于阿尔茨海默病,也不是每个人都会患上阿尔茨海默病。 随着年龄增长,大脑会逐渐衰退,但可以通过多种方式来增强大脑功能。运动可以增强大脑功能,其益处在于运动时大脑会释放神经化学物质。规律运动可以促进海马体生长新的脑细胞。规律运动可以降低患痴呆症的风险。 大脑可塑性指的是大脑的结构、生理功能或活动发生变化。任何年龄段开始运动都不算晚。 不需要进行剧烈运动,快走等中等强度的有氧运动即可。增加运动量可以进一步增强大脑益处。地中海饮食有助于改善大脑健康。 建议进行一项可持续的运动实验,并关注其对情绪、注意力和精力水平的影响。 我的个人运动方案包括每天30分钟的有氧运动和力量训练,以及瑜伽。

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter explores the connection between memory, emotions, and the brain structures involved in memory formation. It highlights the role of emotional resonance, repetition, association, and novelty in creating lasting memories.
  • Emotional resonance strengthens memory formation.
  • Repetition and association aid memory consolidation.
  • Novelty enhances memory encoding.

Shownotes Transcript

We spend so much time focusing on how exercise changes our bodies - burning calories, building muscle, shedding fat. What if the most important transformation is happening where you can’t see it? Hidden inside your skull, your brain is changing with every step, squat, and sprint.

Neuroscientist Dr. Wendy Suzuki has spent years uncovering how movement rewires the brain. As a professor at NYU and an expert in neuroplasticity, Wendy’s research reveals how aerobic exercise boosts memory, sharpens focus, and even builds a protective barrier against dementia.

In this episode, Wendy explains what happens inside your brain when you move, why it’s never too late to strengthen your mind, and the powerful ways exercise can slow brain aging. You’ll discover simple, science-backed habits - including her own brain-boosting routine - to help you stay mentally sharp for years to come.

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Timecodes

00:00 Introduction

02:35 Can you grow your brain?

05:05 Why we forget things

07:20 Emotions and memory

10:00 Does memory decline with age?

13:15 Early signs of Alzheimer’s

15:45 Can walking prevent dementia?

18:20 Does the brain shrink?

20:45 How stress harms your brain

23:50 A real, preserved human brain...

26:30 Why exercise boosts memory

29:15 Can adults grow new brain cells?

31:45 How daily movement improves memory

35:10 How much exercise do you need?

38:25 Best workouts for brain health

41:30 Nutrition, gut health, and memory

45:00 Do Blue Zone habits help?

48:10 A simple brain experiment

50:45 Wendy’s brain-boosting routine

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Mentioned in today's episode

London taxi drivers and bus drivers: a structural MRI and neuropsychological analysis, 2006, published in Hippocampus

Bigger is better! Hippocampal volume and declarative memory performance in healthy young men, 2012, published in Brain Structure and Function

The effects of acute exercise on cognitive performance: a meta-analysis, 2012, published in Brain Research

The effect of acute aerobic exercise on positive activated affect: A meta-analysis, 2006, published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise

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Episode transcripts are available here.