Although individuals who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS), a nerve disorder, may want to boost their dietary intake of that feature flaxseed oil, a new study is suggesting that they may want to burn more energy as well.
According to researchers from Ohio State University, MS patients who worked out on a regular basis and were considered highly fit performed better on cognitive function tests than those who suffer from the disorder but do not work out.
Additionally, the MRI scan of the fitter patients showed that there was less damage in the parts of the brain that are usually most affected by MS.
“We found that aerobic fitness has a protective effect on parts of the brain that are most affected by multiple sclerosis,” said the studys lead author, Ruchika Shaurya Prakash. “As a result, these fitter patients actually show better performance on tasks that measure processing speed.”
The amount of aerobic fitness was also associated with the amount of damaged brain tissues, that were shown as both white and gray matter on the MRI scans.