Here’s Why Science Says Weight Loss Keeps You Young: Brain and Body

Would you be willing to diet if you found out that weight loss keeps you young? If it isn’t enough to think about the things you can’t see, like lowering hypertension and cancer risks, would youth be enough? Science has found that exercise and healthy weight management are the closest thing to a real fountain of youth.

While weight loss keeps you young, it also boosts your mood, gives you better muscle tone and keeps your mind sharper. Those are all features that are important at any age. That said, as you get older, they become increasingly vital.

How Weight Loss Keeps You Young

When you work on losing weight, there are two main steps you take – as well as several smaller ones that are no less important. The first step is eating right. The second step is exercising. Keep in mind that in terms of the way weight loss keeps you young, this refers to long term healthy weight management, not crash dieting.

Cardio gets your heart pumping, your lungs expanding and sends oxygen throughout your body. Strength training helps to boost your muscle tone. Flexibility workouts such as yoga help to promote better flexibility, of course, but also balance and clarity of thought. They all help to keep stress under control.

This is supported by the nutrients your body receives in the right balance when you eat properly. In this way, your body remains strong and avoids weakening over time.

Is There a Study About Why Weight Loss Keeps You Young?

No, there isn’t one study, there are hundreds! In fact, a recent review was published in the Neurology: Clinical Practice journal. It examined almost 100 studies that determined that when seniors exercise for around an hour per day three times per week, there are measurable improvements.

These improvements aren’t just physical. There are also cognitive advantages when compared with the people who didn’t exercise as much or who were completely sedentary. Among those cognitive benefits included better ability to pay attention, apply time management and other important skills.

Many studies show that there is also a link between a healthy lifestyle involving nutritious diet, exercise and regular sleep with a lower dementia risk. The reason weight loss keeps you young in this way has to do with improved connections in the brain’s memory centers. This leads to better performance on a spectrum of different types of cognitive tests.