Your Brain on Exercise

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While we were all coming down from our food comas this weekend, researchers were gathered in Chicago to discuss the latest studies on the aging brain.

One study that stood out (to me, at least) was one that showed Alzheimer's Disease progresses differently in women and men. I always knew Alzheimer's was more prevalent in women and assumed it was because there are more women and especially more women who live into their 80s and 90s. But it seems the disease actually may attack more gray matter (which you need) in women sooner, while men show signs of cognitive decline from Alzheimer's sooner. That's based on a small sample - a little more than 100 people recently diagnosed with the disease.

The other study of note reinforces something that's been discussed repeatedly on this blog: staying active and exercising regularly can stave off non-genetic dementia. This time it is a UCLA study of 876 seniors, average age 78. Those who maintained an active lifestyle - walking, cycling, gardening, basically moving instead of sitting around all day - were less likely to develop dementia.

This makes sense, of course, because raising your heart rate at different times of the day also increases blood flow to the brain, and it's that circulation that can make all the difference.

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