Walking May Protect Aging Brain, Keep Memory Sharp
October 14th 2010 16:41
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Those power walks may do more than help you stay in shape. They could also be good for your brain.
"Brain size shrinks in late adulthood, which can cause memory problems," study author Kirk I. Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh said in a statement. "Our results should encourage well-designed trials of physical exercise in older adults as a promising approach for preventing dementia and Alzheimer's disease."
The study, published in the October 13 online edition of Neurology, looked at 299 participants without dementia who recorded the number of blocks they walked per week.
Nine years later, researchers took brain scans of the subjects to measure their brain size. Four years after that, they were examined to see if they'd developed dementia or other cognitive impairment conditions.
Erickson and his colleagues found that people who walked at least 72 blocks a week, or about six to nine miles, had a larger volume of gray matter in their brains at the nine-year point than those who didn't walk as much. Weekly walks totaling more than 72 blocks didn't seem to increase the amount of gray matter.
Four years later, 116 of the study participants, or 40 percent, showed signs of dementia or other cognitive decline, according to the authors.
Those who had walked the most had half the risk of developing memory problems than the others.
"Exercise increases the number of brain cells, increases the connections between brain cells, increases the amount of blood and nutrients going to the brain and reduces the molecules that are associated with Alzheimer's disease," Erickson told AOL Health in explaining the findings.
He said physical activity like walking seems to counteract the natural deterioration of brain tissue that happens as we get older.
"The brain decays with advancing age," said Erickson. "Loss of brain tissue is associated with greater memory problems and a greater risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. So, since exercise spares brain volume like we have shown in our study, that has an impact on reducing memory impairment and the risk for Alzheimer's disease."
But neurosurgeon Dr. Ravish Patwardhan warned that it would be premature to definitively link weekly walks with memory loss prevention.
"One has to be careful about study design and drawing conclusions," Patwardhan, the founder and director of the Comprehensive Neurosurgery Network, told AOL Health. "These ideas are interesting correlations, which could lead to cause-effect relationships later, but we are not there yet."
He said many questions remain about the research -- including whether the most avid walkers were already walking more before they participated in the study, whether they were doing so because they were healthier to begin with and whether they were drinking more water, which would rid the body of toxins that can lead to Alzheimer's and other cognitive problems.
Erickson said there is nothing specific about walking that helps improve brain function.
"There is nothing inherently special about walking," he told AOL Health. "Most likely, any type of aerobic activity performed at moderate intensities will show similar effects."
The American Academy of Neurology study was funded by the National Institute on Aging
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