Active Women Stay Sharp

One of the best ways to keep your brain working is to keep your body moving. That’s the conclusion from a new study of more than 2800 women with vascular disease. The Women’s Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study was begun in 1995 with baseline assessments of recreational physical activity. Cognitive function was assessed four times over the course of the multi-year study.
Women who were more active were least likely to experience significant cognitive decline. In fact, the most active women demonstrated cognitive ability similar to that of women five to seven years younger. Walking 30 minutes a day at a brisk pace was enough to help women stay sharp.
[Archives of Internal Medicine, online July 19, 2011]