According to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, doing simple breathing exercises can help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimers disease. The researchers enrolled 108 volunteers, out of whom half were in the age group of 18 to 30 years, and the rest were aged 55 to 80 years.

They asked the participants to practice the exercises twice a day for 20 minutes each. During the study period, the researchers recorded the heart rates of the participants, which tended to climb in peaks as they breathed and fall to baseline as they exhaled. Their objective was to augment the heart rate oscillations caused by breathing.

Additionally, the researchers obtained blood samples before the trial began and again after four weeks to evaluate the amyloid beta peptides 40 and 42 in the plasma of individuals from both groups. The researchers found that the plasma levels of both peptides were reduced in the participants who inhaled slowly, irrespective of their age.

Hence, researchers from the University of Southern California concluded that a brief breathing session, i.e., inhaling at the count of five and then exhaling at the count of five for 20 minutes twice a day for four weeks, had a significant effect on the brains health. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1075834 )