by steven reinberg
health reporter
Best Exercise For Tummy Fat Loss - Exercise May Help People With Memory Loss
Wednesday, (Health News) - Older people who have memory and thought problems can get a slight benefit of exercise, a new study suggests.
People who exercised showed some improvement in a thought skills and memory test compared to those who did not exercise, Canadian researchers have discovered.
"We have discovered that three times a week of moderate intense aerobic exercise, as a rapid walk, has significantly improved cognitive function in older adults with cognitive function impaired due to disease that affects small blood vessels in the brain" Lead Teresa Liu-Ambrose researcher said. She is an associate professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
People in the study had mental decline caused by narrowing of blood vessels in the brain, which is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. Said Liu-Ambrose.
Although improvement in mental function were modest, it was similar to that observed in studies that tested drugs for people with the same problem, Liu-Ambrose said. "However, the difference was lower than what is considered the clinically important difference," she said.
"While future studies are needed to replicate and confirm our results, given the well-established benefits of exercise, as well as the fact that there are few treatment options available for people with this condition, aerobic exercise seems to be a treatment option Sensitive with minimal side effects and cost, "she added.
For study, Liu-Ambrose and his colleagues worked with 70 people, the average age 74, who had "slight" problems of thought and memory.
Half of the participants participated in an hour's exercise classes three times a week for six months. The other half received information about mental decline and a healthy diet, but no information about physical activity.
Participants were tested at the beginning and end of the study and again six months later. Tests evaluated general thinking skills; Executive function skills such as planning and organization; And how well they could deal with their daily activities. In an 11-point test, study participants who exercised have improved almost 2 points, the study found.
But six months after exercise finished, his scores were not different from those who do not exercise. And there was no difference between groups in executive function tests or daily activities, added the researchers.
Exercise had other benefits, the researchers have discovered. The people who exercised had lower blood pressure and did better in a test of how far they could walk in six minutes, which measures the overall health of the heart. Blood pressure reduction can also help to remove mental decline, because high blood pressure is a risk factor for mental impairment, researchers said.
DR. Alexandra Foubert-Samier is with the Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Bordeaux in France. She said, "This study has found some interesting results on the practice of physical activities against cognitive decline, but must be confirmed by future studies. You must be careful with the scope of the results of this study, although it is encouraging.
possible that physical activities protect against mental decline, but other studies are needed to prove, said Foubert-Samier, who co-wrote an editorial that accompanied the study."Physical activity is good for health, especially to protect against cardiovascular risk factors, "she said.
