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Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein

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Re: Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein

#31

Post by Fordrus »

igorgue wrote: post #12

Why do we have an article saying basically the same thing every single week here? I get it, and I think everyone here has, exercise is good for you, in many ways, don't sit on your ass all day. I guess it's sad to see this becoming the "Good Morning America" of tech (not that we didn't have those ones already) or the ultra localized we-only-care-about-the-bay-area medium.

I have a potential context shift to offer - do you mean this exact thing was discussed, that is, the protein cathepsin B which is released upon rigorous exercise?

The potential context shift I have to offer here is that I perceive that what might be happening is that you see an article saying, "exercise is healthy for you brain!" - and you seem to see that all the time here and are bored of it, and that's reasonable. But what I, as a biologist, see, is an article saying, "The mechanism by which exercise assists the brain is cathepsin B!" That's new to me, I haven't heard it ever before, but I can see how a non-specialist might not be so interested in it -

Which then leads me to the context shift proper: it isn't that the same stuff is coming every single week, it's that you're not specialized enough in this area to understand the critical differences each time it comes across your radar here (and that biology should be having a larger and larger impact isn't surprising - bioinformatics is growing a lot, and health startups are downright ubiquitous - I'm a part of one, myself! :) ).

It's rather like a businessperson who doesn't care to understand the difference between Docker and Virtual Machines - they may justifiably not care when Docker puts out some new feature, but that doesn't mean that the new feature from Docker isn't important. I'm afraid that in a similar manner to the tech news seeping into the businessperson's business news, biology news may be seeping into your tech news, but I think it's justified in both cases.

All that said, you may be totally conversant with the nuances of protein interactions and pathway chemistry, and this same headline may just have escaped me the past few weeks that it has been posted, or something, regardless, I hope I don't offend, it just sounds like/seems like this may be the case- that something outside of your specialty looks like tons of the same old crap, when really it's all critically different, even if the advice arising from it is similar. It's of deep interest to us biotech folks, and we're becoming a larger and larger population on Hacker News, so, there it is. :)

Re: Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein

#32

Post by ams6110 »

Johnie wrote: post #28
ams6110 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do we care? Why cannot we just accept that some people have no desire/interest in exercise, and let them live the way they want to live. Anyone who likes exercise is already doing it. The constant drumbeat of "living healthy" that pervades the media and now the workplace is getting monotonous and annoying.

It adds cost to the healthcare system and to health insurance that company pay when so many people are unhealthy.

Yes it does, but we've brought that on ourselves by insisting that pre-existing conditions (such as obesity, high blood presssure, etc.) cannot be cause to deny coverage or charge higher premiums. Smoking, interestingly, seems to be an exception to that standard.

Re: Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein

#34

Post by pc86 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #23
laxatives wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because an enormous chunk of the population still refuses to exercise and/or diet and articles like this help motivate some of that subset.

Or piss them off. Exercise is tiring and painful and time-consuming (especially if you count in after-exercise showers). Also, I don't like the whole culture around exercising and fitness. Gimme a damn pill or something. More seriously though, I really find no pleasure in exercise and would like to approach it in the most cost-effective way (i.e. maximum benefit for minimum time used). Any hints on exercise regime op…

If you really want minimum time but still some benefit, taking a walk around the block 2-3 times a day is probably your best bet. But that's "fitness" in the same way the 15 year old with a pirated copy of Photoshop is "a graphic designer."

I don't think anyone who has done weightlifting would say you can do it quickly or that it takes minimal time or effort.

Re: Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein

#35

Post by EpicEng »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #23
laxatives wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because an enormous chunk of the population still refuses to exercise and/or diet and articles like this help motivate some of that subset.

Or piss them off. Exercise is tiring and painful and time-consuming (especially if you count in after-exercise showers). Also, I don't like the whole culture around exercising and fitness. Gimme a damn pill or something. More seriously though, I really find no pleasure in exercise and would like to approach it in the most cost-effective way (i.e. maximum benefit for minimum time used). Any hints on exercise regime op…

Enjoy your limited life span, lack of energy, and general attractiveness. There's no secret here; you get out what you put in. Everyone wants to be in shape, no one wants to lift heavy things.

Re: Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein

#36

Post by atmosx »

tmaly wrote: post #30

I would be more interested in a discussion of the benefits of the different types of exercise. I see there is this sentiment about seeing the same type of exercise is good for you articles every week. Which types help lower cholestrol? Which types are best for the heart?

All of it. As long we're not talking extremes, all kind of aerobic exercise, is beneficial for both cholesterol (HDL), lowers triglycerides and it's (very) good for the heart.

There are other beneficial side effects like: endorphins, high quality night sleep, bigger amount of oxygen reaches the entire body and the brain.

Re: Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein

#37

Post by pc86 »

searine wrote: post #8
drzaiusapelord wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>but what are some possible evolutionary reasons for this connection? Maybe you should be asking the opposite question like why should evolution reward sedentary life? Human history involves daily exercise in some form that is more strenuous than a long walk and that's clearly connected to our general health and well-being both mentally and physically (why should these be separate to evolution?). What we're doing tod…

>Maybe you should be asking the opposite question like why should evolution reward sedentary life? If you can live a sedentary lifestyle and still produce children, then evolution doesn't care. In fact, an indoors lifestyle is much more fit in the longterm than a life of hard labor. Evolution isn't trying to create the Platonic Ideal of a human. It just is a thoughtless mechanism to efficiently reproduce DNA.

> If you can live a sedentary lifestyle and still produce children, then evolution doesn't care.

Hunter/gatherer humanity did not have the luxury of a sedentary lifestyle, so it did have a negative impact on your ability to produce children for a long time.

> In fact, an indoors lifestyle is much more fit in the longterm than a life of hard labor.

I think "hard labor" is a bit extreme, but even so, working a physically demanding job is still better for your overall health than a sedentary lifestyle of office job + sitting on the couch watching Netflix.

Re: Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein

#38

Post by TheCapn »

ams6110 wrote: post #25
laxatives wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because an enormous chunk of the population still refuses to exercise and/or diet and articles like this help motivate some of that subset.

Why do we care? Why cannot we just accept that some people have no desire/interest in exercise, and let them live the way they want to live. Anyone who likes exercise is already doing it. The constant drumbeat of "living healthy" that pervades the media and now the workplace is getting monotonous and annoying.

I know I come to Hacker News specifically to hear software junkies make bad analogies about health. I also go to my local paper's opinion column for the best tech news.

Re: Exercise Releases Brain-Healthy Protein

#39

Post by pc86 »

bronz wrote: post #33

well im surprised to be the first person in this thread to ask this question (if i am not mistaken) but what about supplementing the protein instead of working out?

Does supplementing this protein cause the brain to absorb it at the same rate as exercise? Doesn't exercise increase the brain's ability to absorb certain chemicals (probably a bad way to phrase it, mentioned elsewhere on this page).
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