Scientists from the University of Southern California have found that breathing exercises can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Research published in the journal scientific reports.
108 participants were asked to do 20-minute breathing exercises twice a day for four weeks. All participants also had a heart rate monitor attached to their ears to monitor their heart rate. The exercise was simple: inhale slowly five times, then exhale slowly five times.
The volunteers’ heart rate variability increased during each set of exercises, and the circulating amyloid beta peptide levels in their blood decreased over the four weeks of the experiment. The accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain is believed to cause cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers do not yet know how breathing exercises cause beta-amyloid levels to drop. This study is the first to show that behavioral interventions can reduce plasma levels of beta-amyloid peptides.