WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - According to a new study, short durations of exercise during the weekend could have a noticeable impact on cognitive health.
To reach to this conclusion, the researchers from the University of California Santa Barbara, analyzed 113 previous studies, involving a total of 4,390 participants.
'Our work showed the strongest evidence for a positive effect of single bouts of exercise on cognition and that this evidence was impacted by a variety of factors,' said neuroscientist Barry Giesbrecht.
The participants were divided into four groups based on their exercise habits and were followed for an average of 16 years. They also underwent an assessment to determine their cognitive health.
The scientists found about 2,400 cases of cognitive decline, of which 26 percent were no-exercisers, 14 percent were individuals who exercised during weekends, and 18.5 percent of regularly active people.
The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, revealed that people who exercised only during weekends were 13 percent less likely to develop mild dementia compared to no-exercisers.
'To the best of our knowledge, this is the first prospective cohort study to show that the weekend warrior physical activity pattern and the regularly active physical activity pattern are associated with similar reductions in the risk of mild dementia,' the researchers said.
The researchers also claimed that 13 percent of cognitive decline cases could be avoided if all middle-aged adults exercised at least once or twice during the week.
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