Improved Mental Health at Old Age Through Lifelong Regular Exercise

A recent research published in the journal Psychological Medicine, suggests that exercising throughout the life can improve cognitive brain functions at old age. The study involved around 9,000 people whose exercise routines and exercise intensity at ages of 11, 16, 33, 42, 46 and 50 were monitored analyzed. At the age of 50, the participants were evaluated based on certain tests, which tested their memory power, learning and reasoning ability.

It was noticed that, people who had been exercising regularly every week as a child and as an adult performed better in the tests than those who exercised two or three times a month or even less.

Study leader Dr Alex Dregan, from King's College London, and his team opine that even low intensity exercise for short durations done regularly over long term could contribute to better mental health, though intensive exercise for longer durations provide the best results.

Researchers conclude that further research is required to examine the benefits of varying intensity and frequency of exercise on the cognitive brain functions.

Source-Medindia