The number one “brain game” is officially: ping-pong! – also known as “table tennis!”
That’s according to research from the Mayo Clinic. They used MRI scans to track the brain changes of people playing ping-pong.
And they found that, more than any other sport, regularly playing ping-pong challenges the brain in ways that help it GROW and ward off cognitive decline. And that’s true even in people who’ve already been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s!
The reason? Researchers say the most obvious factor is that table tennis is a light aerobic activity, which gets us moving enough to increase our heart rate, and get more blood pumping to our brain.
And aerobic activities are proven to grow and strengthen neural connections after as little as 15 minutes!
Also, games that involve hand-eye coordination activate the brain’s frontal lobes – which are associated with controlling movement, attention, and decision-making. They also light up our hippocampus, which is involved in storing long-term memories……
Plus, ping-pong is a SOCIAL game. And many studies show a strong social circle is associated with a happier, healthier brain.
Researchers concluded that regularly playing ping-pong can help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by at least FIVE YEARS!
And for patients already diagnosed with the disease, ping-pong offers an effective non-pharmaceutical way of managing – and even REVERSING – the symptoms of Alzheimer’s!
