We often hear advice telling us that doing some kind of physical activity is good to develop muscle, lose weight, or generally to stay healthy. But what if doing exercise was also good for mental abilities?
Last February, we already said that being physically active is very important for our cognitive health. Recently, two teams of scientists confirmed our article.
Their studies, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, show that the practice of physical activities has beneficial effects on the brain.
In the first study, The Canadian team led by Professor Laura Middleton examines the link between energy expenditure and mental faculties. A study was conducted with 197 persons aged 74 for two to five years. The results confirm that active people have 90% lower risk of showing an important cognitive decline. As physical activity was interpreted broadly, walking around the house or even doing household chores may protect us from brain decline observed in dementia!
The French team led by Marie-Noel Vercambre reaches the same conclusion; the study was conducted on a large panel of women with vascular disease or risk of developing heart disease. Researchers followed them for as long as 5 years; physical activity was measured every two years and three or more mental and memory tests were given. The results showed that the more active women were, the less risk they had to develop cognitive trouble. They also added that 30 minutes of daily walking may decrease the risk of developing cognitive impairment.
Do you still hesitate to be physically active?
See a summary of these studies HERE