Many studies have found exercise to be an effective method to combat the progression of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. In fact, it can even reduce your risk for developing memory impairment, according to a recent study from the University of Cambridge. The researchers found that a third of Alzheimer’s cases could be linked to modifiable lifestyle factors including lack of exercise.
One form of exercise that may be particularly helpful to individuals with memory impairment is yoga. Researchers from Harvard found that regularly practicing yoga and meditation can dramatically slow deterioration to the hippocampus – the part of the brain responsible for memory, which shrinks with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
For the study, adults aged 55 to 90 with mild cognitive impairment practiced yoga and meditation for at least two hours a week for eight weeks. At the end of the study, the participants had better connectivity in the parts of their brain responsible for memory and far less damage to the hippocampus.
With the study’s promising results, it seems like we should all take up yoga! Plenty of yoga classes are available online, including through the website YogaGlo. Classes are also frequently offered at gyms and senior centers. You could check out a book illustrating yoga poses, or ask for guidance from someone you know who practices yoga.
But whether you choose to practice yoga or simply take daily walks, regular physical activity can help regrow regions of the brain responsible for memory and improve cognitive functioning – or even prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s or dementia altogether!
Currently, an estimated five million Americans live with Alzheimer’s. That number is expected to grow to 14 million by 2050, and 106 million worldwide. The Cambridge researchers assert that reducing modifiable lifestyle factors by 10 percent (including physical inactivity as well as diabetes, mid-life hypertension, mid-life obesity, depression, smoking and low educational attainment) could prevent nearly nine million Alzheimer’s cases by 2050. The message is clear: exercise is an important tool in the fight against Alzheimer’s.