Exercise helps aging brain - Researchers said

CHICAGO - Brisk walking provide trivial improvement on mental tests for older people with memory difficulties, considered as the first meticulous test of exercise on the aging brain. Study published on Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

The results were only modest of this small Australian study. But they support observational studies establishing potential mental benefits from physical activity.

The effects of exercise were not better but good enough than those, seen with drugs approved to aid brain function in Alzheimer’s disease, according to experts.

Still, the researcher cautioned that the results did not prove that, exercise will provide significant improvement in brain function. They also said there is no evidence that, exercise reduces the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s which can’t be resolute from such kind of studies. The authors said it is unclear, how physical activity might affect brain function. One theory is that it enhances blood circulation to the brain.

Study consisted of 85 Australian adults, aged 50 and older assigned to perform at least two hours of weekly exercise, mainly brisk walk, for six months. They kept record of their exercise and also got encouragement letters and calls to keep it up.

“To our knowledge, this is the first randomized clinical trial being published” on exercise and brain function in older adults with problems, said the lead author Dr. Nicola Lautenschlager.

“It’s an important piece in that it’s the first intervention in people with memory complaints that’s showing some potential benefit,” said Dr. Raj Shah, director of the memory clinic at Rush University Medical Center. He was not involved in the study.

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