SUNDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- Evidence is mounting that
exercise provides some protection from memory loss and
Alzheimer's disease, with three new studies showing that a
variety of physical activities are associated with healthier
brains in older adults. One study found that normally sedentary
older adults who walked at a moderate pace three times a week
for a year boosted the size of the brain region involved with
memory. A second study found that twice-weekly resistance
(weight) training helped women with mild signs of mental decline
improve their scores on thinking and memory tests. And the third
showed that exercise done for strength and balance also improved
memory. None of the findings offer a clear-cut prescription for
thwarting mental declines and Alzheimer's, but taken together,
the growing body of research strongly suggests that physical
activity is essential for healthy brain aging, and may help
prevent Alzheimer's, said Heather Snyder, senior associate
director of medical and scientific rela