The evidence just keeps piling on about the value of exercise in preventing Alzheimer’s and
other forms of dementia. In this new study, healthy seniors who exercised as little as three times a week lowered their risk of Alzheimer’s by as much as 30 percent.
Researchers monitored the mental health and exercise habits of more than 1,700 healthy seniors with no signs of cognitive problems or dementia for six years. During that time, some 9 percent of the patients in the study developed dementia-related difficulties, including Alzheimer’s.
Yet those who devoted as little as 15 minutes to exercise three days a week cut their risk of dementia sharply. Even a short, brisk walk every day, according to the study, can make a difference.
That’s certainly in line with a study I posted last month that found, a committment to exercise over the long haul can also decrease the cellular aging in your brain.
The trick about exercise, however, is treating it like a drug that needs to be prescribed precisely so you can achieve the maximum benefit.