Study shows aerobics can boost memory
Posted on: 21/Nov/2017 11:45:56 AM
Often times, you might have noted TV ads boasting of their power to boost your memory. They say your memory can improve and enhance your brain power – but do they actually work? Well, have you ever thought of popping a pill just to keep your brain health high? Sorting things out, here is a new research that claims that you can simply improve your brain function just by doing aerobic workouts – seriously!
On studying the brain scans of 737 participants prior to starting aerobic exercises and after doing them, the researchers have finally come up with the above conclusion.
The research involved studying 14 clinical trials. The participants involved those who were healthy as well as those who suffered Alzheimer’s, depression or schizophrenia. They were of the age range 24 to 76 years.
They were made to perform different kinds of aerobic exercises like stationary cycling, treadmill running or walking.
The effects of aerobic exercises on brain regions like hippocampus – very crucial part in memory and other kinds of brain functions were analyzed. The studies were conducted by Researchers from Australia’s National Institute of Complementary Medicine and Western Sydney University, and the Psychology and Mental Health Division from the University of Manchester in the UK.
According to the results published in NeuroImage (a journal), there was no difference that exercise had on total hippocampal volume. It however considerably raised the left region size of hippocampus in humans.
In his note about this, the lead author of the study and NICM postdoctoral research fellow, Joseph Firth said apart from increase in the size of hippocampus, the major benefits of aerobic workouts is the slowdown of brain size deterioration. Simply put, exercising can maintain your brain programs.
With age, our brain health deteriorates and decreases. After 40 years, the deterioration begins by 5 percent approximately per decade.
Mr. Firth further said that in addition to giving rise to healthy aging, exercise can also prevent possible neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s or dementia, but few more researches are required to affirm the same.
Apart from this, aerobics is among the few proven methods for boosting your memory in old age, for maintaining brain size and health.
