Women can fight memory loss by exercising, but if they start in time

Physical activity can bring numerous health benefits to middle-aged women, according to a new study from Sweden.

More specifically, the scientists found that women in this age group who had a high level of cardiovascular fitness were nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia later in life compared to those who had a moderate level of physical activity. The results of the study were published in the journal Neurology.

What's more, if those women did develop symptoms of dementia, such as problems with memory or thinking, it happened 11 years later compared to women in the more moderate fitness group. Thus, the very beginning of dementia was shifted to the age of even 90 years in women who started exercising in time. In moderately active women, the first signs of dementia were noticed around the age of 79.

Research results indicate that high cardiovascular fitness is associated with a reduced risk of dementia, confirmed study author Helen Horder from the Center for Aging and Health at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. In other words, a healthy heart is connected to a healthy brain, she simplified.

In the course of the research, scientists dealt with the data of 191 Swedish women aged 38 to 60, reports klix.ba.