I have a history of Alzheimer’s and dementia in my family. They say it skips a generation, but that doesn’t really comfort me because that means there is a good chance my mom will get it. So I pay particular attention to new studies, drugs or anything having to do with cognitive decline.
New studies appearing in this month’s Archives of Internal Medicine show that any regular physical activity may be key to maintaining a sharp mind.
One of the studies took a look at women who had a history of heart disease or stroke, or at least three risk factors of those conditions. Exercise may be particularly important for these women because these conditions have been linked to the memory and language problems known as cognitive decline, which often precedes Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
The most active women, who were getting the equivalent of 30 minutes or more of brisk walking every day, experienced much slower cognitive decline than those who got little or no exercise.
So just another reason to keep exercising.