Two new studies highlight the powerful medicine that walking can be for brain health.  In the first, conducted over 10 years, a team at the University of Pittsburgh led by Dr Cyrus Raji, found that for those with healthy brains, walking at least 10km a week helped maintain brain volume and reduce the risk of cognitive decline by half.  Even those with signs of Alzheimer’s walking at least 8km a week slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s and cut memory loss symptoms by half.  At the same university, a second study led by Dr Kirk Erickson found similar results. In it, after only a year of walking regularly, study subjects showed, in 3-D MRI scans, an expanded hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in memory formation.

People fluent in more than one language may be protected, to some extent, from the memory ravages of Alzheimer’s.  Intellectual challenges like learning a language, playing a musical instrument, reading or doing puzzles, may help keep the brain sharp for longer.

Researchers at Rotman Research Institute and York University in Toronto, Canada, reviewed the medical records of people diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s.

It was found that, in those who spoke two or more languages, the onset of the symptoms was, on average, 4.3 years later than in those with just one language.  The findings were published in the medical journal ‘Neurology’.

“We are not claiming that bilingualism prevents Alzheimer’s or other dementias,” said study leader Dr Fergus Craik, “but it may contribute to cognitive reserve in the brain, which appears to delay the onset of symptoms.”

The ‘cognitive reserve’ theory is that pursuits like learning a language build up connections between nerve cells in the brain.  When disease destroys part of the brain, enough healthy pathways remain intact to keep memory and thinking working longer.

The study adds to scientific evidence that suggests lifestyle factors can affect the onset of Alzheimer’s.  In addition to mental activity, regular exercise and a heart-healthy diet are possible ways to keep the mind and memory sharp into old age.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York are finding that the more meat we eat, the more likely we are to develop dementia, while researchers at Loma Linda University in California report that meat eaters are more than twice as likely as vegetarians to develop dementia.

 
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