Fitness
Want to prevent dementia? Do exercise, experts say. Here’s why
This is the 47th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.
To do your brain some good, do exercise. Research increasingly supports this. No matter what kind of exercise you do, it is all good for your brain.
What is more, it is not just good for your brain today. After you pump some weights at the gym or get out on the track for a run, the benefits of that exercise could sustain for months, even years.
Research published in July by scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia showed a clear link between high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and better recall in the short term, as well as healthier brain volumes in the longer term, in a study group of older adults.
The benefits among study participants, all aged between 65 and 85, lasted for up to five years after the research was completed.