Do you want to preserve your memories well into old age? Exercise three times a week in your 50s and 60s, scientists say

Staying active in your 50s and 60s may be the key to staving off memory loss, according to a study.

Scientists studied 3,000 middle-aged adults and identified a strong connection between exercise levels and their ability to remember important life events.

People who perform aerobic exercise - such as cycling, walking or jogging three times a week - have better memory, the results showed.

Exercise promotes blood flow to the brain and prevents neurons from dying as we age – and preserves memories.

The University of Pittsburgh says exercising three times a week for four months can help with memory retention later in life. Dozens of studies have already shown that exercise has a protective effect on memory

The results, published in the journal Communication medicine comes from a meta-analysis of 36 studies.

Academics at the University of Pittsburgh said individual papers often fail to identify trends because they can be too small.

But once their results from existing studies were summarized, an obvious connection between the two became apparent.

Lead author Sarah Aghjayan said: “We found that memory improved more in those aged 55 to 68 than in those aged 69 to 85 – so it is better to intervene earlier.

“Our study suggests that to reap the benefits of episodic memory, you need to exercise about three times a week for at least four months.

“The public health implications are clear: exercise is an accessible way for older adults to stave off memory decline, benefiting themselves, their caregivers and the health care system.

“All you need is a good pair of hiking boots and you can go out and move your body.”

The results also suggested that exercise levels needed to be maintained for at least four months for people to reap benefits.

The scientists examined aerobic exercises - these include walking, running, cycling or swimming.

They didn't include anaerobic exercise like yoga or using the gym, although these can also improve memory.

The participants were predominantly female (66 percent) and studied between 1985 and 2021.

Only adults without cognitive impairment saw improvements in memory.

This was not the case for those who had already experienced mild memory decline.

However, the researchers said this could be due to them not following the training regimens as thoroughly or differences in the definition of decline between studies.

Previous studies have also shown that regular exercise can prevent memory loss.