Take up jogging and boost your memory

It's common knowledge that jogging burns fat, but a new study shows it can also improve our brains

It will come as no surprise that running is good for your health. It boosts our hearts, tackles cholesterol and burns unwanted calories. But did you know it is good for your memory, too?

Jogging a couple of days a week has been proven to stimulate the brain and boost memory, according to a new study carried out by neuroscientists.

The research carried out by US National Institute on Aging in Maryland, discovered that just a few days of running can stimulate the growth of literally hundreds of thousands of new brain cells that are connected to the formation and recollection of memories.

The recall of memories without confusing them is crucial for learning and other cognitive tasks. Improving these abilities will potentially slow down brain deterioration that affects us in old age.

‘We know exercise can be good for healthy brain function, but this research provides us with the mechanism for the effect,' says Timothy Bussey, a behavioural neuroscientist at Cambridge and the study's senior author.

John Ratey, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston, agrees. ‘Exercise stimulates our grey matter to produce what I call ‘Miracle-Gro' for the brain.

‘I can't understate how important regular exercise is in improving the function and performance of the brain. Its such a wonderful medicine.'

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