The EDGE: Train For Your Brain Power

New research presented at the 2009 Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease shows how important consistent exercise is for brain function. A research team from the University of California, San Francisco, followed more than 3,000 people ages 70-79 for seven years. Subjects were placed in one of four categories based on their physical-activity history, consistently sedentary (21%), active but with consistently declining levels of physical activity (26%), active and consistently maintaining the physical activity (12%) and active but with increasing or fluctuating activity levels (41%). The researchers reported that consistently sedentary test subjects had the worst mental skills based on a standard test that measured overall cognitive function, including memory, attention span and problem-solving. Those who were active but with consistently declining levels of physical activity experienced cognitive-decline that was significantly faster than those who had stable, increasing or fluctuating activity levels.