People with high blood pressure have a higher risk of cognitive impairment, including dementia, but a new study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that engaging in vigorous physical activity more than once a week can lower that risk.

The findings appear online in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“We know that physical exercise offers many benefits, including lowering blood pressure, improving heart health and potentially delaying cognitive decline,” said Richard Kazibwe, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and lead author of the study. “However, the amount and the intensity of exercise needed to preserve cognition is unknown.”

Learn more about the findings here.