Simple breathing exercises help to increase heart rate variability and decrease the levels of Alzheimer’s-related substances in the blood. Researchers report this in the journal Scientific Reports.
The exercise was simple: inhale and count to five, then exhale and count to five. Applied twice a day for 20 minutes, this training had significant effects after four weeks: compared to a group that instead only thought about quiet things like a walk in the park or listened to quiet music for the same time, slow breathing via biofeedback changed the variability of the Heart rate, which counteracts stress and may affect pathways involved in the production and breakdown of Alzheimer’s-related proteins.
Significantly fewer amyloid beta peptides were detectable in the blood of the people whose heart rate variability had increased. This was seen in both older and younger adults. The accumulation of amyloid beta in the brain, through increased production and/or under-removal, is believed to initiate the process of Alzheimer’s disease.
“To date, at least, exercise has not lowered amyloid beta levels,” said Prof. Mara Mather of USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “Regularly practicing slow breathing via heart rate variability biofeedback may be an inexpensive and low-risk way to lower levels and keep them low throughout adulthood.”
Source: DOI 10.1038/s41598-023-30167-0