Scientists have hailed the benefits of exercising early in life to lower the risk of your brain degenerating later. But new research suggests that even once you’re 45 or older, it’s not too late to try.
Having the highest levels of physical activity in midlife and late life was associated with a 41% and 45% lower risk of dementia, respectively, found the study that published November 19 in the journal JAMA Network Open. Midlife was defined as ages 45 to 64, while late life was ages 65 to 88.
“This study shifts the conversation from ‘exercise is good for the brain’ to ‘there may be key windows when exercise matters most for brain health,’” said Dr. Sanjula Singh, an instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School and principal investigator at the Brain Care Labs at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She wasn’t involved in the study.
Midlife exercise specifically increases the production of "cathepsin B," a protein that travels from muscles to the brain to stimulate memory-related gene expression. I find this empowering because it proves our muscles act as a pharmacy, dispensing brain-protecting medicine even if we start later in life.