Cold Shock – Dementia & Alzheimer’s
New Studies Show Breakthrough
Coldwater swimming may protect the brain from degenerative diseases like dementia, researchers from Cambridge University have discovered.
In a world-first, a “cold-shock” protein has been found in the blood of regular winter swimmers at London’s Parliament Hill Lido.
The protein has been shown to slow the onset of dementia and even repair some of the damage it causes in mice.
For those who follow my ramblings, you might remember the number one reason i invested in Cryotherapy was because of my interest in Dementia following my dads decline with the disease.
If you haven’t done so, then check out the Dr Rhonda Patrick interview on our site’s blog, she makes similar claims in as the Cambridge studies have made. Her studies are purely Cryotherapy based but she discusses the same protein release and the same brain adaptations using cryotherapy.
There are already more than a million people with dementia in the UK and the total is expected to double by 2050.
Doctors have known for decades that cooling people down can – in certain circumstances – protect their brains.
People with head injuries and those who need cardiac operations are often cooled during surgery, as are babies.
What has not been so well understood was why cold has this protective effect.
The link with dementia lies in the destruction and creation of synapses – the connections between cells in the brain.
In the early stages of Alzheimer’s and other neuro-degenerative diseases, these brain connections are lost.
This leads to the cascade of symptoms associated with dementia – including memory loss, confusion and mood swings – and, in time, the death of whole brain cells.
‘Cold-shock’ chemicals
The Cambridge dementia team discovered the “cold-shock chemicals” that trigger the process in 2015
They found levels of a “cold-shock” protein called RBM3 soared
It suggested RBM3 could be the key to the formation of new connections.
Remember
It’s not about the 3 minutes in the cryo or the 30 minutes cold water swimming
It’s about the next 30-40-50 years of your life and a consistent approach to well being and health
