Break out the workout gear!
Regular exercise can help fight against dementia in middle-aged and older people and women benefit the most from it, a new study concluded.
The European study had more than 16,000 people take part over 13 years, which included cognitive testing, and that’s where the favourable results for women were found.
When older people take on regular and only moderate exercise their brain function sees improvement, with cognitive test scores increasing by 12.6% for men and 13.7% for women.
The study didn’t speculate why the results favoured women, but pointed out the data spoke for itself.
When an older person took on more vigorous exercises like running, they saw more cognitive improvement, 15% for women and 8% for men.
The biggest take away from the study results is the need to up the level of physical activity you do to help stave off cognitive decline and the possibility of dementia, one of Australia’s biggest killers.