London - A healthy body may lead to a healthy mind, but having strong legs is what will really keep your brain in tip-top form, scientists have found.
They claim the brain ages more slowly in women whose legs are fit.
What is more, having powerful pins proved to be more important than a healthy diet or not smoking.
It is thought that exercising your muscles leads to the release of hormones that make brain cells grow and connect.
Because your legs contain some of the largest muscles in the body, exercising them is particularly beneficial.
Researchers at King’s College London studied more than 150 pairs of female twins aged 43 to 73 – although they say the results should apply to men, too.
At the start of the study, the strength of their legs was tested, and they were given mental tests designed to pick up age-related changes in thought processes.
Resitting the tests ten years later revealed how their brains had aged.
When the researchers looked at each set of twins in turn, they found that the sibling with the strongest legs at the start of the study tended to have fewer age-related brain changes by the end of it. On average, a twin whose legs were 25 percent stronger than her sibling’s could expect to have five years’ less mental decline, the journal Gerontology reports.
She said: “Simple lifestyle changes to boost our physical activity may help to keep us mentally healthy.
“I tended to prioritise work on the brain over work on the body. This has changed my attitude. You need to keep your body fit to keep your brain fit, especially if you want to keep your faculties.”
Dr Doug Brown, of the Alzheimer’s Society said: “This adds to growing evidence that physical activity can help you to look after your brain as well as your body.”
Daily Mail