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| Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash |
As a Registered Dietitian, I spend a lot of time thinking about how food shapes our health. But recently, a paper in The Lancet was quite interesting.
It reviewed decades of evidence showing that regular physical activity doesn’t just benefit the body—it actively protects the brain. From increasing blood flow to stimulating neuroplasticity, movement is medicine for the mind.
But here's where it gets even more exciting:
What happens when we pair that movement with targeted nutrition?
Do we end up with a kind of “superpower” against age-related cognitive decline?
The Brain-Boosting Power of Movement
The article, published in The Lancet (2025), lays out how aerobic exercise, strength training, and endurance-based movement support brain health:
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Improves cerebral blood flow
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Reduces neuroinflammation
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Enhances synaptic plasticity and memory
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Stimulates neurogenesis (yes, even in older adults!)
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Releases exerkines—molecules that act like messengers between muscles and the brain
This is the future of brain health: movement as a biological trigger for brain repair.
Movement Doesn’t Work Alone
We know exercise primes the brain. But it’s nutrients that fuel the rewiring.
Imagine your walk, bike ride, or swim opening up pathways—oxygen-rich, inflammation-calmed, ready for change.
Now imagine feeding that process with:
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Omega-3s (from fatty fish, flax, walnuts) to support neuron structure
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Polyphenols (from berries, cocoa, green tea) to fight oxidative stress
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B-vitamins and choline for neurotransmitter function
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Protein and hydration to rebuild, repair, and restore
Movement opens the door. Nutrition steps in and builds the house.
It’s a Feedback Loop, Not a Checklist
Here’s the real magic:
Exercise makes nutrition more effective. And good nutrition makes exercise more recoverable.
Together, they:
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Improve mood and motivation
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Sharpen executive function
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Preserve independence as we age
And when tailored to older adults, this synergy could be one of our best strategies to delay or slow conditions like Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
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