Brisk walk or bike ride for 30 minutes three times a week can stave off dementia in over-60s even after their memory begins to fade
- Over 60s with memory loss that exercised for a year had improved recollection
- Researchers said this was due to increased blood flow to two areas of the brain
- UK Alzheimer’s society recommends regular exercise for dementia sufferers
Walking or riding a bike for 30 minutes three times a week can slow down dementia in older people, a study has revealed.
It found participants aged 60 and over with memory problems that exercised for a year had a 50 per cent improvement in their recollection scores compared to those that only did stretching.
This was because of an increased blood flow to two regions of the brain associated with memory loss, said the researchers.
Scans of participants brains revealed increased blood flow to two regions of the brain in those that had exercised. The study was carried out by the UT Southwestern Medical Centre
Participants exercise was also increased to 30 to 40 minutes four to five times a week when the study entered week 26. All exercise sessions involved a five-minute warm-up and a five-minute cool-down.
Brain imaging scans of the thirty participants were taken at the start and end of the study to reveal any changes.
They showed more blood flowing to the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex, which the researchers suggested could arrest mental deterioration.
‘We’ve shown that even when your memory starts to fade, you can still do something about it by adding aerobic exercise to your lifestyle,’ said Binu Thomas PhD, a senior researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Centre, Texas, which conducted the study.
‘Perhaps we can one day develop a drug or procedure that safely targets blood flow into these brain regions.’
Previous studies have shown exercise has at the least a small role in helping to stave off dementia.
Pictured above is one of the entrances at the UT Southwestern University in Dallas, Texas. Previous studies have also shown exercise can help stave off dementia
One published last year said the hormone Irisin, which is generated by muscle tissue and released during exercise, could help prevent the disease.
Researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, found that when the hormone was blocked in mice with a rodent version of Alzheimer’s, the benefits of exercise were lost.
The UK’s Alzheimer’s society says keeping mentally, physically and socially active can have ‘a very positive impact’ on people suffering from the disease.
It recommends regular exercise such as swimming, walking or even tai chi.
Dr James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said last year the Brazilian study added ‘mounting evidence’ to the relationship between lifestyle factors and dementia.
‘This is a promising avenue for more research and potentially new therapies in the future,’ he said.
The American study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.