Hacker News Reader

This is pretty stupid.

"Leg exercise is critical to brain and nervous system health" is the title but what they actually did is hang a mouse by it's tail for a month.

I guess doing strange things to rodents and measuring the outcomes is useful, but going so far as to turn it into health advice for humans is absurd.

View on HN

Are you referencing the actual study? The article states, “The study involved restricting mice from using their hind legs, but not their front legs, over a period of 28 days.”

Yes. They achieve those restrictions by holding up the mouse by the tail so only the front legs are on the floor of the cage.

Which makes the whole study bullshit because what they actually measured was effects of stress not of the lack of leg exercise

They also didn't control for other muscles so who's to say that it is specific to leg exercise, or even, sedentary life, living life at a 45 degree incline, too much blood flowing to the brain, or any other factor.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com