"If you're going to prioritize one thing for your brain health, make it this: regular aerobic exercise. Multiple large-scale studies show that aerobic exercise doesn't just keep your heart healthy-it directly impacts your brain structure. One year of aerobic exercise in older adults led to significantly larger hippocampal volumes and better spatial memory. Other trials documented that exercise actually slows age-related gray matter volume loss."
"The magic number? Neurologists recommend 150-300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity. That could be brisk walking, swimming, cycling, or dancing-anything that gets your heart rate up and keeps it there. What makes aerobic exercise so powerful is its dual mechanism: it increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes new neural growth, while simultaneously reducing vascular risk factors that contribute to dementia. Your brain literally gets more blood flow, more oxygen, and better waste removal with regular cardiovascular exercise."
Brain function remains plastic across the lifespan, and lifestyle choices strongly influence cognitive decline risk alongside genetics. Neurologists identify specific activities that reduce dementia risk, led by regular aerobic exercise. One year of aerobic activity in older adults increases hippocampal volume and spatial memory and slows gray matter loss. Recommended dosage is 150–300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling, or dancing. Aerobic exercise elevates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), promotes neural growth, and lowers vascular risk factors, improving cerebral blood flow, oxygenation, and waste clearance. Benefits accrue even when starting later in life.
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