Aerobic exercise ‘boosts memory area of older women’s brains’

Older women could reduce their chances of age-related cognitive degeneration by taking regular aerobic exercise, according to a new study.

Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has revealed that regular aerobic exercise seems to boost the size of the hippocampus involved in verbal memory and learning among women whose intellectual capacity has adversely been affected by age.

To reach this conclusion, the team tested the impact of different types of exercise on the hippocampal volume of 86 women who said they had mild memory problems. All were aged between 70 and 80 years old and were living independently at home.

It was revealed that the total volume of the hippocampus in the group who had completed a full six months of aerobic training was significantly larger than those doing balance and muscle-toning exercises.

As such, the study authors recommended regular aerobic exercise to stave off mild cognitive decline. This is important, given that dementia affects about 800,000 people in the UK and is growing more prevalent as the population ages.