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Exercise could be key to staying sharp: Study
In a report published by the Neurological Clinical practice, Harvard researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have discovered that exercise can improve a person’s cognitive and thinking skills.
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Staying sharp while getting older is not impossible. (Shutterstock/File)
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span id="docs-internal-guid-7eb321d0-f767-62bc-7c43-fb9df8b306ba">Staying sharp while getting older is not impossible. According to a study reported on by the Boston Globe, researchers at Harvard Medical School have found that the best way to stay sharp is not through pills or a new diet. Surprisingly, an hour of yoga or going out for a walk is one of the best ways to stay sharp.
In a report published by the Neurological Clinical practice, Harvard researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have discovered that exercise can improve a person’s cognitive and thinking skills. This includes any type of exercise, such as swimming, cycling and yoga.
The experiment included surveying the lifestyles of 11,000 adults in their 70s.
The report explained that participants began experiencing improvements in their cognitive ability after exercising over a 52-hour period.
Read also: Exercise, not vitamins, urged to prevent falls in seniors
Lead author Joyce Gomes-Osman stated, “There is solid evidence to suggest that maintaining a regular exercise regimen can improve brain health.” She said the benefits piled up over the long term as short, intense exercise sessions were not as effective as regular exercise routines over a long period.
“You can think of it as exercise turning back the clock age in your brain,” she said, adding that staying mentally alert was important.
During the process of aging, the central nervous system tends to slow down the production of new cells in the brain’s hippocampus, or the part of the brain that will affect one’s thinking and problem solving skills. When exercising regularly, the production of a protein called the brain derived neurotrophic factor will be stimulated. This protein will help “new neurons survive and thrive”, Gomes-Osman said.
“Sometimes it’s hard to translate these studies to people’s lives,” she added, “but I think we took a real important step in creating advice to translate results of evidence of exercise and brain health to a practical application that’s applicable to everybody.” (ely/wng)
