Walking ‘has physical benefits for blood flow to the brain’

A new study has offered evidence on the physical benefits that walking can have on improving blood flow to the brain.

New Mexico Highlands University researchers used noninvasive ultrasound to measure internal carotid artery blood velocity waves and arterial diameters, allowing them to calculate cerebral blood flow in 12 healthy young adults while standing and walking.

The findings offered evidence that the foot's impact during walking causes significant impact-related waves through the arteries that sync with the heart rate and pace of walking to dynamically regulate blood circulation to the brain.

Although foot impact was lighter than when running, walking was still shown to produce large pressure waves in the body that significantly increase blood flow to the brain – much moreso than cycling, which involves no foot impact at all.

These findings may explain why such activities can help to optimise brain perfusion and function, while delivering an overall sense of wellbeing.

First author Ernest Greene said: "What is surprising is that it took so long for us to finally measure these obvious hydraulic effects on cerebral blood flow."

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