New Research Finds Exercise Maintains Brain Health And Size

New Research Finds Exercise Maintains Brain Health And Size

A recent study carried out by researchers from National Institution of Complimentary Medicine (NICM) in Australia and the division of Psychology and Mental Health at the University of Manchester here in the UK has found that aerobic exercise can help to prevent the deterioration of the hippocampus which on average begins to shrink by approximately 5% in size per decade after the age of 40.

Previous studies with rodents have shown that physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, displayed evidence of increasing hippocampal volume however this new study conducted to examine the effect in human beings differed, instead showing evidence that aerobic exercise, including stationary cycling, walking and treadmill running slows down the rate of deterioration in brain size.

These findings as surmised in a separate interview by the lead author could thus have ‘implications in the prevention of ageing-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia — however further research is needed to establish this.’.

For more information on this study you can check out the full journal on Science Direct or similarly check out the article about the study on Science Daily.