(Jennifer J Heisz/ The Conversation) — For the first time in human history, older people outnumber younger people. This has created unique health challenges. Dementia may be one of the scariest — a debilitating condition that erases memories; a condition without a cure.
But dementia does not have to be your fate. Exercise protects our memories from being erased and our latest research shows that it is never too late to start.
As an associate professor in the department of kinesiology at McMaster University, I direct a team of researchers in the NeuroFit Lab, where we’ve shown that physical inactivity contributes to dementia risk as much as genetics.
Our latest research suggests that the intensity of the exercise matters. We enrolled sedentary seniors in a new exercise program and in just 12 weeks their memories improved. But this only happened for those who walked at a higher intensity, and their memory gains were directly related to their improvements in physical fitness. (…)