In the United States alone, there's an estimated 16 million people who suffer from cognitive impairment. Studies show that the main cause of this kind of vascular impairment is the minimal blood supply problem to a person's brain.
Today, scientists have uncovered a solution to avoid memory loss, especially to people with vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). Those who have VCI (second main cause of dementia, after Alzheimer's disease) go through a process of worsening mental abilities as a result of brain cell death.
Some effects of brain cell deterioration are reduced language, memory, problem solving, and thinking. To keep away from losing one's memory, scientists insist that exercising regularly can lower the blood pressure, which may help ward off memory decline.
Although there's no actual cure for VCI or a way to reverse harm caused to the brain, there are a number of proven ways to at least minimize the progress of this health situation. Lifestyle change is the first and foremost method to tackle the cause of having high blood pressure. Thus, eating right, quitting smoking and exercising regularly.
According to Teresa Liu-Ambrose, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, "Studies have shown that exercise can help reduce the risk of developing memory problems, but few studies have looked at whether it can help people who already have these problems get better or keep from getting worse."
Liu-Ambrose and her team evaluated the effects of exercise training programs on cognitive and daily functions for 70 adults with vascular cognitive impairment. These adults have an average age of 74 years old, and they were grouped into two. For six months, the first group have one-hour exercise sessions three times weekly while the second group aren't informed about exercising regularly, but they only received monthly news about healthy diet and VCI.
After the six-month research period, the team concluded that the group that exercise improved their thinking test by 1.7 points than those who do not have any physical activity at all.
