Health gurus have revealed that a gentle form of exercise, such as tai chi, performed several times a week can significantly slow the progression of dementia. Harvard Medical School has overturned the long-held belief that the brain’s capacity to generate new cells was restricted to early life.
The experts at Harvard now confirm that the brain is capable of remarkable adaptability throughout an individual’s life, with the potential to produce new cells, forge fresh connections and even expand in size, leading to enhanced cognitive abilities.
They highlighted that various exercises, particularly tai chi, are beneficial in this regard. A review of 20 studies indicated that tai chi notably boosts ‘executive function’ in those experiencing cognitive decline, which encompasses skills like multitasking, time management, and decision-making.
For those with mild cognitive impairment, tai chi not only decelerated the onset of dementia more effectively than other exercise forms but also matched other exercises or cognitive training in enhancing brain function.
The experts from Harvard pointed out: “In one study, researchers had nearly 400 Chinese men and women with some cognitive impairment perform either tai chi or a stretching and toning program three times a week. After a year, the tai chi group showed greater improvements and only 2% of that group progressed to dementia, while 11% from the traditional exercise group did.
“In another study, tai chi outperformed walking. Following 40 weeks of either tai chi, walking, social interaction, or no intervention, researchers compared MRI images and discovered that brain volume increased the most in the tai chi group. In addition, that group also performed better on cognitive tests.”
