I’m not a big fan of reporting on animal studies, because the results are often not replicated with humans. Animal studies are like the small surveys conducted in undergraduate psychology classes — you can find interesting results that may mean nothing except to the subjects you studied (e.g., well-educated young adults, most of whom are still teens).
In the case of mice, well, we can say the results generalize to mice. (If we wanted to be even more specific, one could argue that lab mice bred for laboratory experiments are different than mice bred and raised in the wild, but let’s leave that leaf unturned.) But in a 24/7 news cycle, even mice studies can get mainstream media pickup.
Case in point, this article in the UK’s The Guardian. It starts off well enough, making the reader believe this is a nice robust piece of interesting research:
The health benefits of a regular run have long been known, but scientists have never understood the curious ability of exercise to boost brain power.
Now researchers think they have the answer. Neuroscientists at Cambridge University have shown that running stimulates the brain to grow fresh grey matter and it has a big impact on mental ability.
A few days of running led to the growth of hundreds of thousands of new brain cells that improved the ability to recall memories without confusing them, a skill that is crucial for learning and other cognitive tasks, researchers said.
The new brain cells appeared in a region that is linked to the formation and recollection of memories. The work reveals why jogging and other aerobic exercise can improve memory and learning, and potentially slow down the deterioration of mental ability that happens with old age.
Four paragraphs into the article and no mention of the fact that all of this research is the result of scientists studying some lab mice. Amazing.
Now, if the reporter had ended virtually every sentence above with, “in mice,” then it would’ve been fine. But no, that would make people legitimately wonder whether the research really pertained to them as human beings.
I have no problems with mainstream media reporting on animal studies such as this one. But please don’t bury the fact that the findings are from a single animal study down in paragraph 9.
We have long known that regular exercise and eating a healthy, low-fat diet helps your brain health. This is not new news. But it’s not really sexy to hear the same boring message over and over again. So some folks are constantly looking ways to repackage this boring information. “It’s not just exercise, but jogging, that increases your brain health!”
Hence the reason mice studies such as this one are elevated into the mainstream media. And the reason why the “science correspondent” tried to hide the fact that it was just a mice study.
Read the full article: Start running and watch your brain grow, say scientists
12 comments
I have always believed that my runs make me a healthier person in general, and this just reinforces it!
I couldn’t agree more. The mainstream media continues to be a poor source for anything health related. They take either obscure facts or take to so called experts to make a story seem too good to be true.
It is interesting to read how mice merely confirm what we already know about mental fitness resulting from aerobics and a proper diet. I have found that racquetball gives me the total fitness workout I need. In just a one hour racquetball game my body receives enormous benefits. First, there is the dynamic aerobic workout that racquetball provides. Next, there is the clear strength benefit from this game. Racquetball also sharpens my intellect and requires me to be particularly alert when addressing the fast moving racquetball. So the best of all fitness worlds is to combine a healthy diet with regular racquetball play. This combination produces the best in body fitness.
I agree with Robert that this is nothing new and most of us, who have done aerobics exercises know the effects it has on our well being, physically as well as mentally.
I am not so sure that the brains of mice can be compared to a human brain though.
Nevertheless, it is important that people exercise regularly, especially running or jogging, in order to enhance their body’s fitness and stimulate their brain health.
All I can say is WOW! Your article really opened my eyes and amazed me of how much I still don’t know. I’m really intrigued by this fact…it’s very interesting.
Regarding the above comments all I can say is that I disagree…not everybody knows this stuff. In fact the vast majority of people don’t exercise at all and I can bet they don’t know the benefits of regular exercise.
If this is true, I think several hamsters in my house would have their brains bulging from their skulls- those things RUN ALL NIGHT LONG!!
I get the repackaging for news thing. Funny. But on the other hand, if it gets more people to learn about something they might not have come across otherwise I guess it can be beneficial.
Interesting comparison, but I am not sure that human brains function they same way as the one of a mouse.
Nevertheless, such studies are helpful and informative, especially for people who are not very interested in physical exercise or feel it’s a waste of time!
I used to jog and exercise a lot and always felt somewhat like having a “natural high”, which for me makes sense, what the above article is referring to.
Since I stopped exercising, my body doesn’t feel so great and I definitely will start exercising again, even if it’s just a great and brisk walk in nature.
Great information, hope to see more of this kind.
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