As a brain tumor survivor, I am
often wondering if riding my bike or opening up Mozilla and tackling Lumosity (www.lumosity.com) is better for brain
building.
As it turns out, Heidi
Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter, wrote about this in a blog
posting entitled “Which is better for keeping your mind fit: physical or mental
activity?”
In an April 3rd
blog posting, she noted that “A study published yesterday in JAMA Internal
Medicine tried to tease out whether physical or mental activity was better for
brain health.”
She went on to say that “There’s some
evidence that exercise alone protects the brain. One study of people in their
seventies published in Neurology showed that those who exercised the most had
the least brain shrinkage and fewer white matter brain lesions, which can be
signs of dementia. People who engaged in mental activities had more brain
shrinkage and white matter brain lesions. Another study published recently in
Stroke showed that older adults who exercised regularly reduced their risk of
vascular-related dementia by 40%.”
Wait a minute, I thought,
what about all that time I spend on Lumosity?
As if anticipating my
concern, she commented that “Mental
activity alone can also protect the brain. In one 2012 study, published in
Neurology, researchers demonstrated a direct link between the amount of
cognitive activity, such as reading the newspaper or playing chess, and the
level of cognitive function in the following year.”
Her advice? “Take advantage
of the brain protection that both physical and mental activities provide. On
the physical side, start or keep moving. A good goal is 150 minutes of moderate
intensity exercise a week, but any activity is better than none.”
Here’s a link to her
article: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/which-is-better-for-keeping-your-mind-fit-physical-or-mental-activity-201304036049?ll_leid=234&refer=4812
Image
credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_16774194_brain.html'>abidal /
123RF Stock Photo</a>
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