Wednesday 20 October 2010

Walking can Maintain Brain Volume and Prevent Cognitive Impairment

New research suggests that walking six miles (9.7km) per week maintains your brain's volume and preserves your memory as you age.

MRI scan measurements showed that walking as little as one mile (1.6km) a day significantly affects brain volume nine years later, and dementia 13 years later, but walking more than nine miles did not increase gray matter volume any more.

"Based on our results, we can conclude that there is a relation between the amount of walking earlier in life and brain volume in later adulthood and that greater volume of tissue related to walking is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment," the study authors said.

Kirk I. Erickson, PhD, at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, and his colleagues reported these findings in the October 13 issue of the journal, Neurology.

The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging.

Further reading :

This article was summarized from Digital Journal
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/299158

Medscape Medical News
Walking Maintains Brain Volume, Prevents Cognitive Impairment
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/730395

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