Regular exercise improves memory in old age even if taken up in 50s and 60s, research shows
Regular exercise improves memory in old age, even if done in your 50s and 60s, research shows, testing whether staying fit can delay dementia.
- A UCL study found that exercising once a month can protect memory in a 30-year study
- Study of 1,400 people will monitor participants to see if dementia is delayed
Jogging just once a month is enough to protect your memory well into old age, research shows, even for couch potatoes who start jogging in their 50s and 60s.
Scientists at University College London (UCL) tracked the exercise habits of 1,400 participants over 30 years.
When each person turned 69, the volunteers took a test to assess their memory, attention, language and verbal fluency.
Those classified as moderately active, meaning they participated in any physical activity one to four times a month, fared better than those who exercised less frequently.
At least 30 minutes of a variety of activities, including badminton, swimming, physical exercises, yoga, dancing, soccer, jogging, or even brisk walking, count as one exercise session.
Jogging just once a month is enough to protect your memory in old age, research shows, even for couch potatoes who take it in their 50s and 60s (file photo)
The volunteers also completed a questionnaire at five points during the study: at ages 36, 43, 53, 60 to 64, and 69. Overall, 11 percent of the participants were physically inactive at all five points, while the 15 percent got some exercise in each. scenery.
The majority of the group, one in five, said they exercised at least twice a month. Previous studies have suggested that regular exercise can reduce the risk of developing dementia by a third.
Much of this research has focused on fitness in middle age, with benefits found for those who get the NHS recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week.
But the researchers behind the new study say their results are proof that anything helps, and that it’s never too late to start.
Dr Sarah-Naomi James, a UCL researcher and the trial’s principal investigator, will assess whether exercise patterns can ultimately delay the onset of dementia.
Dr Sarah-Naomi James, a UCL researcher and the trial’s principal investigator, said her study “provides evidence to encourage inactive adults to be active to even a small extent… at any time during adulthood” for improve cognition and memory later in life.
Frequent exercise is said to improve blood flow within the brain, leading to increased activity in areas associated with learning and memory.
Dr. James will continue to follow the cohort to assess whether exercise patterns can ultimately delay the onset of dementia.
“We hope this is the first cradle-to-grave study in the world, where we have studied people throughout their lives,” he added.