Don't you hate it when you just can't remember something? And for many people it makes them start to worry that it may be the first signs of memory loss and dementia.
It is probably the thing people fear the most about getting older.
But it turns out that it doesn't take much effort to stave off the effects of aging on your memory and your mind.
An increasing amount of research is showing that you can slow the progression of memory loss and dementia by regular light exercise. And it doesn't have to be that much; even walking or gardening can make a difference.
You don't have to do high intensity exercise to get the oxygen flowing to your brain. So if you needed some added motivation to walk to work or exercise during your lunch break, here is some of the findings from research on exercise and memory.
Get walking
In one study, researchers from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada measured the energy expenditure and cognitive functioning of elderly adults for two to five years. The "active" adults did not do vigorous exercise, but instead did things like walking around the block, gardening and cleaning. This moderate activity protected them from cognitive decline over several years compared to people who were more sedentary. About 90 percent of those with the highest levels of daily activity were able to think and remember almost as well over the two to five year study period.
Stop your brain shrinking
Another study found that exercise prevents the brain shrinkage that occurs with age. The hippocampus "shrinks" in late adulthood, and this reduced volume is associated with impaired memory and increased risk of dementia. This study found that hippocampal volume of exercisers increased by 2% compared with declines in the control groups.
It's not just old people who benefit
A study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine looked at the effect of exercise on young adults ranging in age from 19 to 29 years. It found that those who did moderate exercise five times a week for 30 minutes had enhanced memory compared to those who didn't exercise as much.
Strength training helps too
It isn't just aerobic exercise that helps your memory. Strength training may be just as effective.
A study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging found that weight training improved how older women think and changed how blood flows within their brains. Women who lifted weights twice a week for 12 months performed significantly better on mental processing tests than a control group.
Even a little exercise helps
A recent University of Colorado Boulder study showed that a small amount of exercise could protect against long-term memory loss that can happen suddenly following infection, illnesses or injury in old age.
In the study, researchers found that aging rats that ran just over half a kilometer each week were protected against infection-induced memory loss.
They found that a small amount of physical exercise by late middle-aged rats protected them against inflammation in the brain and ongoing memory loss that can occur following a serious infection.
The researchers concluded that even a small amount of exercise was sufficient to provide significant benefits, and that this is an important finding because those of advanced age are more vulnerable to memory impairments following immune challenges such as infections or surgery.
Past research has shown that dementia is often preceded by bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, or other immune challenges so the more protection you have, the better your chances of memory loss.
What does it all mean?
Even relatively low intensity exercise offers protection against much-feared memory loss as you get older, and I'm sure research will confirm that the fitter you are, the more protection you have against memory loss.
So keeping active and being fit is the best defence you have against forgetting what this newsletter talked about.
As one of the researchers stated, exercise is probably as close as we can come to the long-sought fountain of youth.
Even if you stay fit and can't do all the things you did when you were younger, at least you'll be able to remember what you once did!
Article Author: David Beard, Calico Exercise Physiologist and Healthy Ageing expert
