After a long endurance run, tired muscles in general and heavy legs in particular: we are actually all used to it. But the fact that your brain also has a hard time during long efforts like a marathon, for example, is only now being revealed by new Spanish research. What it turns out: the brain uses its own protective fat layer as an energy source to cope with a long endurance run.
Spanish scientists examined the brains of ten marathon runners, of course through MRI scans. Those scans were taken both before, immediately after the finish line and months after the marathon. Directly after the marathon, the amount of myelin, a fatty protective material surrounding nerve cells in your brain, was found to decrease in certain brain areas. The areas that were most “affected” in this process were those used for coordination and the use of senses and emotions. In some cases, myelin withdrawals were as much as 28 percent.
Runners don’t need to worry immediately – even the most avid runners who run dozens or even over 100 kilometers a week – because the scientists saw clear recovery of myelin levels as early as two weeks after exercise. Two months after the marathon, the values were even back to their original level. A tip is given, however: eat especially healthy, high-fat foods such as fish, nuts and/or avocado and get plenty of rest after exercise.
The study can be found here. The scientists stress that additional research is needed because there was a very limited number of athletes – ten, in other words – for this study.
