Walking could boost brain function by increasing blood flow: study

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A new study has found that just taking a walk can help control and increase the amount of blood that’s sent to the brain, and possibly increase brain function.

The study, performed by researchers at New Mexico Highlands University in the United States, found that the foot’s impact on the ground while walking sends pressure waves through the arteries, which sends more blood to the brain.

According to the study, the speculative effects of the find mean that walking may “optimize brain perfusion, function and overall sense of wellbeing during exercise.”

The researchers studied a group of 12 healthy young adults during upright rest and steady walking, approximately one metre per second. They measured the speed of the blood in the arteries as well as the cerebral blood flow during both activities.

The results found that although the foot’s impact is less while walking than running, it still produces large pressure waves that increase blood flow to the brain. It also had a greater effect than cycling, which involves no foot impact.

“There is an optimizing rhythm between brain blood flow and ambulating,” said Ernest Greene, first author of the study and a researcher at New Mexico Highlands University. “What is surprising is that it took so long for us to finally measure these obvious hydraulic effects on cerebral blood flow.”

According to the researchers, it was once thought that blood flow to the brain was regulated by the body and was unaffected by blood pressure changes when exercising.

The results of the study were presented Monday at the Experimental Biology meeting comprised of more than 14,000 scientists.