Women who are physically active throughout their lives are less likely to develop cognitive impairment, especially if they were active during their teenage years. Canadian researchers published their study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Researchers compared the physical activity levels of 9,344 women in their teens, at age 30, age 50 and at the end of their life. 15.5% of women stated they were inactive as teenagers, 29.7% didn’t move much at age 30, 28.1% at age 50 and 21.1% at the end of their life.
The experts found that the risk of cognitive impairment among inactive women was between 50 and 100%.
Dr. Laura Middleton works at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. She comments: "More and more people are starting to recognize physical activity as one of the most promising means to prevent cognitive impairment and dementia. And what this study adds is that it’s not only important in mid and late life — that we really have to start as early as possible."