A recently published study has found that walking approximately 6 miles per week may protect brain size. Increased gray matter volume was seen in participants who walked this distance or further, and this increased volume was in turn associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment in older age. The longitudinal study asked 299 dementia-free participants, from the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study, to record the number of blocks they walked in 1 week. High-resolution brain scans were acquired 9 years later, whereupon participant's brain size was measured. After a further 4 years the participants were tested to determine whether they had developed cognitive impairment or dementia. White matter hyperintensities, ventricular grade and other health variables measured at baseline were used as covariates.
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