Walking staves off aging, study says

Walking staves off aging, study says

New research shows that walking for six miles on average may postpone or slow down the shrinking of the brain among elderly people. Shrinkage of the brain has been linked by previous studies to cognitive decline and memory impairment.

The study, backed by the U.S. National Institute on Aging, is published October 13 in the online version of the journal Neurology

“We have always been in search of the drug or the magic pill to help treat brain disorders,” said head researcher Kirk I. Erickson, who is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.

“But really what we are after may be, at least partially, even simpler than that,” he added. “Just by walking regularly, and so maintaining a little bit of moderate physical activity, you can reduce your likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease and can spare brain tissue.”

The study started in 1989 when researchers monitored 300 adults who were considered to have good cognitive health. They recorded how many blocks each subject took during a whole week.

After nine years, the MRI scans of those people turned out to be “cognitively normal.”

But nearly a third of the group developed signs of mild dementia or cognitive impairment just four years after the MRI scans.

The researchers analyzed and compared data about the MSI results, walking and overall fitness level, and general mental health of the subjects, and concluded that being engaged in physical activities like walking reduced the risk for developing cognitive problems.

They also added that those who walk had retained most of the gray matter in their brain during a span of ten years, and the risk for cognitive problems was trimmed by 50 percent.

Posted by George Daniels on Thursday October 14 2010, 7:41 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0