Results of a new rodent study suggest that a daily exercise routine helps not only in keeping excess weight at bay but it can also reverse age related memory decline. Natural age related memory decline is due to a decline in the production of neural stem cells in the hippocampus of the brain. This is a part of the brain which plays a key role in perking-up memory and learning and this slow down in brain cell production is linked to impaired memory and learning.

The study found that regular exercise restores a brain chemical known as neurotrophic factor and its receptor, which promotes the production and maturation of new stem cells. Researchers at the National Cheng Kung University Medical College, Taiwan, undertook a study on mice that were divided into two groups. The first group was trained to rhythmic workouts on exercise wheels, at 70 % of their aerobic capacity, for an hour everyday for five weeks while the other group had a sedentary routine.

The researchers found that the mice who exercised everyday had 2.5 times higher number of new brain cells than mice in the non-exercising group. They noted, "Far more of these new neurons survived, grew, and integrated into existing brain networks." Another factor that the researchers noted was the younger the mice were when they started exercising the better was the result. "Treadmill running not only increases the quantity but also enhances the quality of newborn neuron.

Chronic treadmill running alters the chemistries of middle-aged brains toward an environment resembling younger brains," the researchers said. The study appears in the November issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology, published by The American Physiological Society.