Maintaining physical activity may help people maintain their cognitive skills as they age, a 10-year Dutch study found. The study, published in Tuesday's Neurology, reviewed the data of 295 men, born between 1900 and 1920, from Finland, Italy and Netherlands. Beginning in 1990, researchers measured the duration and intensity of physical activities such as walking, bicycling, gardening, farming, sports, odd jobs, and hobbies. Cognitive functioning was tested with the Mini Mental State Examination. There was no decline among those who increased the duration or intensity of their activities. Men who performed their daily physical activity with a lower intensity 10 years later had a 3.6 times stronger decline than men who maintained the intensity level. "Our study suggests that being physically active in old age could keep the brain fit," said Boukje van Gelder, of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven, the Netherlands. © Copyright 2004 by United Press International

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