Scientists at the University of Cambridge in the UK have shown that swimming in cold water can delay the onset of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. This was reported in The Independent.
The researchers found that many of the cold water swimmers they watched from 2016 to 2018 had elevated levels of cold shock protein (RBM3). Previous experiments in mice have shown that RBM3 provides protection against dementia.
Experts have compared swimmers to people who practice tai chi remedial gymnastics and rarely catch colds. Only the former showed an increase in cold shock proteins. These compounds, which play an important role in adaptation to these temperatures, are present in large quantities in the body of plants and cold-blooded animals, but have also been found in mammals, including humans.
The researchers hope that the results of scientific work will allow in the future to develop new means of preventing neurodegenerative diseases. In the UK alone, the National Health Service estimates 850,000 people suffer from dementia.
