Sport can improve blood flow to the brain in elderly people
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Bonn, Germany (dpa) - Sport in old age can improve blood flow to the brain and help the memory, German neuroscientists have confirmed.
Researchers from the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases(DZNE), the University of Magdeburg and the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology carried out a study of 40 men and women aged between 60and 77.
However the beneficial effects were more noticeable in the younger participants, who experienced increased circulation to the brain after training regularly on a treadmill.
Their visual memory also improved. They could, for example, memorize abstract images better than at the beginning of the training programme.
However, those aged 70 and over did not benefit from the treadmill.
Those who took part were all of average health and did not take regular exercise.
One group trained regularly for three months on the treadmill while the other group only took part in muscle relaxation sessions. The study proved that the aging process can limit the benefits of exercise, the authors of the study wrote.
