According to a new study, older people who exercise three or more times a week are significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's and other types of dementia.
Healthy people who reported exercising regularly had a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of dementia.
This adds to the growing body of evidence that physical activity can help sustain mental faculties.
Researchers monitored the mental health and exercise habits of more than 1,700 healthy seniors with no signs of cognitive problems or dementia for six years.
During that time, some 9 percent of the patients in the study developed dementia-related difficulties, including Alzheimer's.
Yet those who devoted as little as 15 minutes to exercise three days a week cut their risk of dementia sharply. Even a short, brisk walk every day, according to the study, can make a difference.
