"There's an avalanche of neuroscience to support that (physical) exercise is good for the brain," said John Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and co-author of an upcoming book on the subject.
That's hopeful news for many who worry that growing old may mean losing their minds.
A survey conducted last year by Harris Interactive for the MetLife Foundation found that Alzheimer's was a bigger source of anxiety for Americans 55 and older than heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
In a six-year study of 1,740 adults 65 and older published last year in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found those who exercised more than three times a week were less likely to develop dementia than those who didn't.
A 2005 study of 3,375 adults in the same age group produced similar results. But investigators said the findings, while encouraging, don't yet prove that exercise prevents the onset of dementia.
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