Keeping your New Year’s exercise resolution can help your brain too, study says

Many people make New Year’s resolutions to regularly go to the gym, run a marathon or attend yoga class to improve their health. Now there may be another reason to stick to that resolution: Exercise may be keeping your brain healthy, as well as your body.

A new study found that people who exercise with moderate-to-vigorous intensity were 36 percent less likely to be at risk for cognitive impairment. Those who exercised regularly had better memories over time.

Previous research showed that hitting the gym can benefit the brain, but those studies relied on participants to self-report their activity. In this study, the 6,400 participants over 65 years old wore activity trackers to monitor their movements over the course of a week. Researchers also tested participants’ cognitive abilities to provide a baseline. Three years later, those who had exercised more vigorously were the most likely to have retained their cognitive function.

As people age, they become more susceptible to dementia and Alzheimer's. Each year, 7.7 million people are diagnosed with dementia, and by 2050, there are expected to be an estimated 115.4 million with dementia worldwide.

The study also examined the differences in outcomes based upon race.

“The study also indicated that higher [moderate-to-vigorous physical activity] was independently associated with a 39%–47% less risk of cognitive impairment and maintenance of memory and executive function over time in White adults, as well as maintenance of memory performance in Black adults,” the researchers wrote.

In addition to potentially reducing the risk for dementia, physical activity helps reduce the chances of other health problems like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

This story was originally published December 30, 2016 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Keeping your New Year’s exercise resolution can help your brain too, study says."