Exercising improves cognitive function in people at risk for Alzheimer's or with symptoms of memory loss. Specifically, physical activity increases the efficiency of brain activity associated with memory , according to a US study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease . The work is the first that, using neuroimaging techniques, shows that after 12 weeks following a moderate exercise program, elderly subjects with an average age of 78 years experience visible improvements in their memory (including the memory that allows them to remember people's names , one of the first skills to be lost with dementia) and their cognitive abilities. In fact, after exercising regularly in that period of time, the participants in the experiment needed to use fewer neurons to successfully solve memory tests. In addition to that the cardiovascular health of the subjects improved up to 10%.
The authors conclude that when reaching the third age it is necessary to do exercise of moderate intensity – that is, an activity that increases the heart rate and makes you sweat but is not so strenuous that it prevents speaking while practicing – every day, for a total of 150 minutes of physical activity a week, to stay mentally healthy .
