Regular exercise including brisk walking can help improve memory in older people and delay the onset of dementia, says an Australian study. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study articulates that the results even though they were modest, were as good if not better than those seen with the use of drugs to help boost mental function in Alzheimer’s disease.  

170 participants over the age of 50, who had no dementia but reported some memory linked trouble, were tested. Half the participants were made to walk for 50 minutes thrice a week while the other half did not exercise at all. After six months the participants were tested on their memory including recalling lists of words. The results showed that those who were in the exercise group did much better on the memory tests than the group that did not exercise at all.

The report said, "The trial is the first to demonstrate that exercise improves cognitive function in older adults with subjective and objective mild cognitive impairment. The benefits of physical activity were apparent after 6 months and persisted for at least another 12 months after the intervention had been discontinued."

The study authors though cautioned that the results should not be taken to mean that exercise reduces the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s nor that exercise can produce meaningful improvement in either brain function or memory. What the study has shown is that exercise helps brain function due to improved blood flow to the brain, but as the study did not involve brain imaging it could not show any changes in blood flow to the brain associated with the exercise.  

Lead author Dr. Nicola Lautenschlager of the University of Melbourne said, "To our knowledge, this is the first randomized clinical trial being published." According to the World Health Organization an estimated 37 million people worldwide now live with dementia, with Alzheimer's disease making up the majority of cases. As that figure is expected to increase rapidly over the next two decades, researchers are searching for ways to help delay the onset of dementia.

Dr. Raj Shah, director of the memory clinic at Rush University Medical Center was not involved in the study said larger studies are needed before older patients are prescribed exercise as treatment for memory loss. "It's an important piece in that it's the first intervention in people with memory complaints that's showing some potential benefit," he added.

Dr. Ron Petersen of the Alzheimer's Association was in agreement that the study should not be "overhyped." He said the results would be used by him in discussing potential benefits of exercise with patients.