According to reports, a new study published in the American Journal of Neurology shows that walking six times a week can prevent brain atrophy, and then prevent a variety of memory problems and cognitive decline. Kirk Eriksson, a professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, who led the new study, said scientists have been working to find drugs or magic pills that can treat brain diseases such as Alzheimer's.
The results show that the way to prevent brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease is very simple - regular walking and moderate physical exercise can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and protect brain tissue. Professor Eriksson and his colleagues have followed up the physical activities and cognitive (or thinking) patterns of nearly 300 elderly participants since 1989.
At the beginning of the study, all participants were in good cognitive health, with an average age of 78 and about two-thirds of women. The researchers used charts to record the weekly walking distance of each participant. Nine years later, the researchers measured the size (volume) of the participants' brains using a high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scanner (MRI).
All participants were "cognitively normal". But four years later, the results showed that a third of the participants had mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease. The researchers found that the more physical activity in the elderly, the lower the risk of cognitive impairment.
Specifically, the longer the walking distance, the more gray matter in the brain. The study found that participants with more active bodies and more gray matter in the brain halved the risk of cognitive impairment. Walking 6-9 miles a week is ideal. The new study also found that the longer the elderly walk, the better. Walking more than 14 kilometers a week does not have this cognitive benefit.
