Evidence that unhealthy brain aging can be reversed in middle age by aerobic exercise
In a recent issue of the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE (PLoS One. 2011;6(10):e26812. Epub 2011 Oct 25, "Reversal of Glial and Neurovascular Markers of Unhealthy Brain Aging by Exercise in Middle-Aged Female Mice"), researchers reported the results of a study of middle-aged female mice in which six weeks of aerobic exercise using a running wheel decreased astrocyte and myelin markers of aging while improving generation of blood vessels in the brain (as compared with a control group of female mice who remained sedentary during the same period). This suggests that aerobic exercise can be beneficial in preserving brain function as people age, even if they do not begin exercising regularly until they reach middle age.
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