Staying active helps brain to fight dementia

BEING active throughout life and particularly before the age of 50 leads to brain changes that may stave off dementia, a study has found.

- By Storm Newton

People who regularly exercised were also less likely to experience cognitive decline even if they had key markers of Alzheimer's disease, researchers found.

This may be because exercise helps preserve volume in the area of the brain associated with thinking and memory, scientists say.

They looked at data from 468 people, aged 70 at the time, taking part in Insight46 - a scheme following people born in Britain during the same week in March 1946.