A younger brain? It’s a stroll

GOING for a gentle walk could make your brain younger, a study suggests.

It found those who try to meet a daily target of 10,000 steps or more can expect to have a brain about 1.8 years younger than those who do fewer than 5,000 steps. But US researchers said even those doing a lot less can benefit.

Their study of 2,300 people wearing fitness trackers, with an average age of 53, found those who did an hour of light daily physical activity had a brain age gain of about 1.4 years. Light activity can include a stroll or cycling at less than 5mph. The age calculations were based on the size of brains, which shrink as we get older.

The study by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, said: ‘Potential benefits of physical activity on brain ageing may accrue at a lower, more achievable level of intensity.’