More Evidence That Physical Activity Protects the Aging Brain

Train. Do not exercise.

New data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project provide more evidence that staying physically active may protect the aging brain from Alzheimer's disease (AD).

In a group of more than 700 elderly individuals free of dementia at baseline, a higher level of total daily physical activity, determined objectively via 24-hour actigraphy, was associated with a lower risk for the subsequent development of AD, as well as a slower rate of cognitive decline.

The association remained "robust" after accounting for a wide variety of potentially confounding factors, and supports efforts to encourage physical activity even in the very old, conclude Aron S. Buchman, MD, from the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, and colleagues.

'Cause when you train, you do good things for your brain.