Walking, gardening, swimming, dancing may prevent brain shrinkage in older adults

older people
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Older people who regularly walk, garden, swim or dance may have bigger brains than their inactive peers, according to a preliminary study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, April 25 to May 1, 2020. The effect of exercise was equal to four fewer years of brain aging.

The study used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to measure the brains of people with a range of activity levels, including those who were inactive to those who were very active. The scans showed less active people had smaller volume.

“These results are exciting, as they suggest that people may potentially prevent brain shrinking and the…

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