ATHENS, Ga. — A recent study by the University of Georgia found that being more physically active might help prevent cognitive decline.
According to the UGA study, performed by researchers at the UGA College of Public Health, consistent physical activity during your life can help delay cognitive decline.
That means staying active, even as you grow older, can help you delay the onset of conditions like dementia, according to the research.
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“The improvement of the decline rate may seem modest, but it builds up over time. If this slower decline continues, it could potentially delay the onset of dementia by many years, giving people more time to live independently and maintain quality of life,” lead study author Suhang Song said.
The more often people engage in physical activity, and in longer stretches, the more of a delay in cognitive decline was reported, UGA said.
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The data for the UGA research came from the Health and Retirement Study, which surveys adults 50 years and older for 16 years across the United States.
To find this link, UGA researchers surveyed thousands of people, with responses focused on how frequently they were active and what level of intensity they engaged in.
“The improvement of the decline rate may seem modest, but it builds up over time. If this slower decline continues, it could potentially delay the onset of dementia by many years, giving people more time to live independently and maintain quality of life,” Song said.
Put simply, UGA researchers said to move more and stay active to support longer-term brain health.
“From clinical practice and from the intervention side, continuous physical activity is an important proactive measure,” Song said.
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