Study Suggests Exercise Helps Prevent Alzheimer's

BOSTON (CBS) – A new study shows that being more physically active may help protect seniors from Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers from the Harvard Aging Brain Study at Massachusetts General Hospital studied the physical activity of 182 older adults without cognitive symptoms but some of whom were at high risk for developing Alzheimer's due to abnormal levels of Amyloid protein in their brains.

They found that greater physical activity helped protect against cognitive decline as well as the loss of brain tissue overall.

While even modest levels of physical activity provided benefits, the positive effects were most prominent when people walked at least 8,900 steps a day.

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