Doing aerobic exercises thrice a week in 50s, 60s can delay memory loss: Study

Regular physical activity is essential to not only reduce muscle loss and maintain strength as you age but also to keep your memory intactForgetfulness is part of ageing and may worsen into Alzheimers disease that may affect the quality of lifeA new study has shown that practising aerobic exercises like cycling walking or jogging thrice a week in the 50s and 60s can help stave off memory lossEveryone always asks How much should I be exercising Whats the bare minimum to see improvement said lead author Sarah Aghjayan doctoral student in the Kenneth P Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences at the University of PittsburghFrom our study it seems like exercising about three times a week for at least four months is how much you need to reap the benefits in episodic memory she addedEpisodic memory is the kind that deals with events that happened to you in the past Its also one of the first to decline with ageExercise that gets the heart pumping has shown promise in increasing brain health and experiments in mice show that it improves memory but studies looking at the same link in humans have come out mixedTo understand the team pored over 36 studies with over 3000 participantsWe found that there were greater improvements in memory among those who are age 55 to 68 years compared to those who are 69 to 85 years old so intervening earlier is better Aghjayan saidThe team also found the greatest effects of exercise in those who hadnt yet experienced any cognitive decline and in studies where participants exercised consistently several times a weekThe findings are published in the journal Communications MedicineWhile the teams analysis couldnt answer how the intensity of exercise affects the memory benefits and theres plenty to learn about the mechanism behind the linkBut the implications for public health are clear Exercise is an accessible way older adults can stave off memory declines benefiting themselves their caretakers and the healthcare system Aghjayan saidYou just need a good pair of walking shoes and you can get out there and move your bodyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever