Walking helps preserve memory in older adults-study

Walking, perhaps the best fitness activity for seniors given the relatively low physical risks, not only provides better health and vitality but may also help preserve memory and cognitive function, claims a new study.

According to researchers, a brisk walk few times a week protects memory in old age by preventing the brain from shrinking.

Experts theorize that a physical activity like walking seems to counteract the natural deterioration of the brain tissue that happens as we grow older.

Art Kramer, director of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois and the senior author of the study stated, "The results of our study are particularly interesting in that they suggest that even modest amounts of exercise by sedentary older adults can lead to substantial improvements in memory and brain health."

Link between walking and brain health assessed
In a bid to assess the co-relation between weekly walks and brain health, the researchers conducted a study.

The focus of the study was the small part of the brain called the hippocampus which is involved in memory.

The researchers enrolled 120 dementia free participants aged 55 to 80 years and split them into two groups.

One group walked around a track for 40 minutes in a day thrice a week, while the other group was involved in only stretching and toning exercises.

The participants’ hippocampus was scanned for brain mass comparison at the onset of the study after six months, and then after a year.

In addition, all the study subjects underwent memory tests at the three intervals.

Outcome of the study
The investigators found that both the groups performed well in the memory tests.

However, those involved in aerobic exercise exhibited a two percent increase in hippocampus size.

In contrast, there was a decrease in the hippocampal volume of about 1.4 percent in the group performing stretching exercises.

The researchers also found that those with an increase in the hippocampus region demonstrated higher levels of blood and nutrients going to the brain, a growth factor linked with learning and memory.

Lead study author Kirk Erickson, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh stated, "We can change the brain in older adults. It's amazing that a one-year period of moderate exercise isn't just slowing down the atrophy, it's actually reversing it."

The findings are published in the 'US Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.'