Older people taking part in regular physical activity could reduce the risk of developing dementia and cognitive impairment, according to a new study.

“First of its kind” research put together by the Goethe University Frankfurt found links between physical exercise and improved brain metabolism, helping combat dementia.

In the study, published in Translational Psychiatry, gerontologists and sports physicians at the university examined the effects of regular exercise on brain metabolism and memory of 60 participants aged between 65 and 85 in a “randomised controlled trial".

Participants underwent a number of examinations, using the Sport and Metabolism in Older Persons MRT study to assess "movement related parameters, cardiopulmonary fitness and cognitive performance." While other MRT and MRS scans were used to measure brain metabolism and brain structure.

Following these initial examinations, participants carried out 30 minute exercise bikes sessions three times a week over 12 weeks, while a control group carried on as normal.

At the end of the programme, participants were re-examined in order to "document the effects of this physical activity on brain metabolism, cognitive performance and brain structure".

As the study had hypothesised, physical activity appeared to have influenced brain metabolism, preventing an increase in cerebral choline levels, whereas choline levels increased in the control group. The concentration of which often rises as a result of the increased loss of nerve cells, a common symptom in Alzheimer's patients.

Therefore, the study concluded that regular physical exercise "not only enhances fitness but also has a positive impact on brain metabolism".