A study has just concluded that going for a walk could help our brain grow.
The researchers found that a brisk walk three times a week increases the size of the hippocampus, the brain's memory center. The hippocampus is one of the first areas to be destroyed by Alzheimer's disease.
[Scroll down to see the VIDEO "Why are you running?"]
They asked 120 men and women between the ages of 55 and 80 to give a brisk 40 minute walk three times a week.
[It may interest you How to strengthen memory and avoid dementia]
Normally, the brain shrinks with age. But scans after a year showed that some key regions of the participants' brains, including the hippocampus, they had grown by as much as 2 percent. In contrast, in another group that had been invited to do a series of simple stretching exercises during the year, those same brain regions were found to contract by about 1,5 percent.
Lead researcher Dr. Kirk Erickson from the University of Pittsburgh said:
"You don't need highly vigorous physical activity to see these effects."
Dr. Erickson explained that exercise isn't a magic bullet when it comes to fighting dementia, but it seems to be one of the best ways to keep your mind sharp:
“Most of the population is still very sedentary and it is very difficult for people to get up and walk. We are not training older people to run marathons. Just exercise moderately several times a week and you will see huge improvements over a period of several months. "
If you liked this article, share it with your friends!