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The Raelian Movement
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Don't let your mind wander - go for a stroll instead: How even a short walk can reduce risk of Alzheimer's
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1320252/Dont-let-mind-wander--stroll-instead.html
By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 10:26 PM on 13th October 2010
Walking a mile a day could keep memory loss at bay.
Men and women who stroll at least six miles a week are mentally sharper in later life than those who take their car for even short journeys, a study found.
It is thought at regular exercise slows the shrinking of grey matter, cutting the odds of absent-mindedness and of dementia.
Memorable journey: The study showed that walking cuts the risk of memory loss in the elderly
With Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia blight the lives of more than 800,000 Britons, and the number of cases expected to double within a generation, there is an urgent need to find inexpensive and effective ways of boosting brain health.
The American researchers asked 299 men and women aged 65-plus to note how far they walked over a course of a week.
Walking was chosen because it is the most common form of exercise among the elderly. And unlike some sports, participation occurs across all classes.
Nine years later, the volunteers underwent brain scans designed to measure amounts of grey matter - the cells that crunch information.
And after another four years, they were tested for memory problems ranging from simple lapses in concentration to dementia.
Green for go: Even a short stroll along busy city streets could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's according to the new study
Forty per cent of those taking part had developed some form of forgetfulness - but clocking up the miles cut the risk of memory problems by half.
Those who walked six to nine miles a week also had more grey matter than those who were less active, the journal Neurology reports.
However, walking more than this did not have any added benefits.
Dr Kirk Erickson, of the University of Pittsburgh, said: 'Brain size shrinks in late adulthood, which can cause memory problems.
'Our results should encourage well-designed trials of physical exercise in older adults as a promising approach for preventing dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
'If regular exercise in midlife could improve brain health and improve thinking and memory in later life, it would be one more reason to make regular exercise in people of all ages a public health imperative.'
The study is far from the first to prove exercising to be good for the mind.
A previous study of more than 1,700 pensioners found exercising at least three times a week for at least 15 minutes at a time to cut the risk of Alzheimer's by a third.
Exercising boosts blood flow to the parts of the brain used for memory. It may also reduce levels of amyloid, a sticky protein that clogs the brains of those with the disease, leading to nerve damage and memory loss.
Regular activity also helps prevent diabetes and high blood pressure – both of which increase the risk of Alzheimer's.
It is also possible those who exercise regularly as pensioners will have led healthier lifestyles over the years.
The despite the benefits of exercise, many Britons are loath to get up from the sofa.
Research shows that one in five of us walks for 20 minutes at a stretch once a year or less - a statistic described by Professor Roger Boyle, the Government's leading cardiac expert as 'the most disgusting thing I have ever heard'.
Dr Susanne Sorensen, of the Alzheimer's Society, said: 'This study provides further evidence that a healthy heart can lead to a healthy brain.
'One of the benefits of this research is that it eliminates the impact other socio-economic factors may play and focuses specifically on walking rather than exercise more generally.
'Although a link has been found between lack of exercise and brain shrinkage, we need more research to find out why physical activity may affect the brain.
'The best way to reduce your risk is to take regular exercise, eat healthily, don't smoke and get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1320252/Dont-let-mind-wander--stroll-instead.html#ixzz12M0vC9zf
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WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full
capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I
agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe
it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or
do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our
philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian
fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader
was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the
weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or
religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It
just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common
sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to
understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it
is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed
and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change
to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for
medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be
absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies
or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it".
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"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
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