- Researchers say daily breathing exercises may help peptides in the bloodstream.
- They say this action could help lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
- Experts say biofeedback exercises such as daily breathing has a number of health benefits.
Breathing exercises done for 20 minutes two times a day helped decrease peptides associated with Alzheimer’s disease in the blood, according to a
Researchers say the findings indicate that these daily exercises could potentially reduce the risk of developing this form of dementia.
In he study, participants used a biofeedback unit while completing breathing exercises for four weeks. Researchers clipped a heart monitor onto the ear and connected it to a laptop in front of the participant.
There were 108 participants, with half aged 18 to 30 and half aged 55 to 80.
Half the participants listened to calming music or thought of calming images, such as a beach scene or a walk in the park. They also viewed a heart rate monitor on the laptop screen to ensure their heart rate remained steady.
The second group of participants paced their breathing to match the pacer on the laptop. When a square rose, they inhaled. When it dropped, they exhaled. This exercise was designed to increase breathing-induced oscillations in their heart rate. Their heart rates rose during inhale and dipped during the exhale.
The researchers completed blood tests before the start of the breathing exercises and again after four weeks.
They looked at two peptides – amyloid 40 and 42. Scientists say that they believe an accumulation of these peptides triggers the Alzheimer’s disease process. A higher level of the peptides in the blood could indicate a greater risk of developing the disease.
Amyloid beta peptides are the suspected “bad guy” in Alzheimer’s disease, according to Dr. David Merrill, an adult and geriatric psychiatrist and director of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Pacific Brain…
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