The long-term study carried out at the Cardiff University unraveled that regular exercise along with not smoking, low bodyweight, healthy diet and low alcohol intake could have remarkable influence on dementia levels.

The breakthrough study has monitored some 2,235 men aged between 25 and 49 from Caerphilly, just north of Cardiff, since 1979.

During the study period, researchers followed the effects of dementia and strokes, according to the study report published in PLOS One journal.

They found that those participants who followed four of the five recommended factors had 70% fewer instances of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, compared with people who took none of the factors.

The participants also showed a 60% decline in dementia and cognitive decline rates, particularly those ones who included exercise in their routines.

“Healthy behaviour was far more beneficial than any medical treatment or preventative procedure,” said Professor Peter Elwood, who led the study on behalf of Cardiff School of Medicine.

“The size of reduction in the instance of disease owing to these simple healthy steps has really amazed us and is of enormous importance in an ageing population,” he stated.

The new findings provide more evidence to show that “healthy living could significantly lower the risk of developing dementia.”

An earlier study conducted by the University Of Edinburgh in Scotland also demonstrated that elderly people who were more physically active had fewer damaged spots in the brain’s white matter, or the wiring that transmits messages around the brain.

Previous studies showed that older adults without Alzheimer’s disease who walked moderately for 30 to 45 minutes three days a week for a year, had a two percent increase in the volume of their hippocampus, a region of the brain important for memory.

The brain tends to shrink as we age, and this shrinkage is mostly linked to poorer memory and thinking. Experts say exercise increases blood flow to the brain, delivering oxygen and nutrients to brain cells.