Brisk Walking May Improve Memory

We all know exercise is good for us. It improves our general physical health, helps us maintain a healthy weight, improves mood and has been shown to be a deterrent against diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Now a good brisk walk might also stave off memory loss.

In a small Australian study, researchers have discovered that physical activity may have potential mental benefits. The positive effects of exercise were found to be as good or better than the effects of drugs approved to aid mental function in Alzheimer's disease. Researchers caution that the scope of the study was too narrow and the test group too small to conclude that exercise can reduce the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's. However they hypothesize that the increased blood flow to the brain that occurs during exercise could positively affect brain function.

In the study, individuals exercised for about 20 minutes a day, mainly engaging in brisk walking. After 6 months, the exercise group performed 1.3 points better on a 70-point scale of brain functioning than the non-exercise control group.

Urging further research into the possible connection between exercise and brain function, Dr. Raj Shah, director of the memory clinic at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, noted, "it's the first intervention in people with memory complaints that's showing some potential benefit."