Science has confirmed what sports lovers have always known from experience: exercise is good for the brain. It increases blood flow, inhibits stress hormones, and stimulates the release of ‘feel good’ endorphins. One way by which exercise is thought to yield these benefits on the brain is through a chain of processes that ultimately results in the release of the hormone BDNF. Produced by the liver , brain , skeletal muscle, and fat tissue, BDNF is known to promote the growth, survival, and maintenance of nerve cells.

Previous studies have suggested that the starting signal for this physiological chain is a high level in the blood of lactate , a by-product of the conversion inside muscle, the liver, and the blood of carbohydrates into energy when oxygen is limited – for example dur

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