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Many have long heard of the important benefits of walking and have witnessed the popular saying “eat and walk”, but a new study has revealed several benefits we didn’t know about.
The results of the study, according to the “New York Times” newspaper, showed that walking can treat moderate cognitive impairment and can improve brain health and thinking in older people, who suffer from memory impairment.
According to the one-year study, 70 middle-aged and older men and women who showed early signs of amnesia took frequent brisk walks, which increased their cognitive scores.
Divide participants into two groups
In addition, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and other institutions asked participants to start more physical activity, after performing checks and tests for their current health and cognitive functions and their physical form.
Then they were examined again using advanced ultrasound and other techniques to measure the stiffness of the carotid artery, which carries blood to the brain and the amount of blood that flows to and through their brains.
Then, finally, the volunteer participants were divided into two groups, one of which began a program of light stretching exercises to act as an active control group. While the second group began to practice walking.
The researchers asked the participants to maintain their activity, so that their heart rate and breathing increased dramatically, while still giving them the freedom to swim or ride a bike, in addition to a brisk walk.
While all members of both groups trained three times a week for about half an hour for six months, after which they were able to complete about five training sessions most weeks until the end of the year.
Walking is one of the most important and easiest sports – expressive
Memory improves
The participants were examined in the lab to compare the new results, which found that the group who exercised had significantly less stiffness in the carotid arteries, and therefore increased blood flow to and through their brains.
Perhaps the most important result is that their performance is now better than a group of light stretching exercises in some thinking skills tests involved in planning and decision making.
It was also noted that both groups slightly increased their scores on most memory and thinking tests, and to about the same degree.
Expressive – iStock
Brisk walking for a longer period
Concluding the experiment, the researchers suggested that over a longer period of time, brisk walking would lead to greater cognitive gain and reduced memory loss compared to participants in the first group who only practiced stretching exercises. light.
But Professor Rong Chang, professor of neuroscience at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas who led the new study, suggested that it would likely take more than a year for improved blood flow to the brain. results in better cognition.
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