Running can keep brain young

Those attempting to guard against dementia should put down the crossword and go for a jog, British researchers have advised.

For years, people have assumed that puzzles kept the brain active. But Clive Ballard, a professor of age-related diseases at King’s College London, said those who wanted the best chance of staving off dementia should opt for a run or a brisk walk.

It has long been known that those who take exercise are less likely to develop the condition, but it was only last month that a study at the University of Pittsburgh showed that instead of the brain shrinking — as it does normally at a rate of about one per cent a year — it grew by about two percent in those who took a brisk 40-minute walk three times a week.

Among those between ages 55 and 80, exercise increased the size of the hippocampus — the brain’s memory hub — knocking almost two years off its biological age.

Ballard, who was until recently director of research for the Alzheimer’s Society, is leading a study investigating the long-term impact of brain training on older people.

The project has already found that puzzles appear to have little short-term impact on the brain. Ballard said some exercises seemed to have some impact in protecting against general cognitive decline, yet had no effect on Alzheimer’s disease.

“If people enjoy a crossword that’s great, and it’s possible it does some good. But if people want the best chance of protecting themselves from dementia the answer is to go for a run or a brisk walk, the evidence is clear,” he said.