Studies show that taking a regular, daily walk is good for physical health. Now, it appears that it may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and ward off mental decline, as well. The amount of walking needed to realize these benefits to the brain is more than just a stroll around the block. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh concluded that to guard against cognitive decline, you've got to put in an average of at least five miles a week, every week, for about 10 years.
The investigators analyzed data from an ongoing 20-year study looking at the weekly walking patterns among 426 seniors. At the start of the study, 44 of the participants already had Alzheimer's and another 83 had mild cognitive impairment. In half of all cases, mild cognitive impairment eventually progresses to Alzheimer's. All other participants were cognitively healthy.
Ten years into the study, after accounting for age, gender, body-fat composition, head size and education level, the researchers found that brain volume was largest among participants who exercised the most. Further, walking five miles a week appeared to protect those with some form of cognitive impairment against further cognitive decline. Greater brain volume is a sign of general brain health and less brain cell death. The healthy participants had to walk six miles a week to protect their brain health.
After 12 months of a moderate exercise intervention, 70 percent of participants showed significant improvement in memory function. And the more the participants exercised, the greater the improvement. For more information, click here.
Also, please attend Lunch-N-Learn, September 2012. Lunch-N-Learn will run again from January to October, 2012. In September, Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke (Associate Professor of the Department of Walking Behavior, Pennington Biomedical Research Center) will be speaking on this very topic!
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