The effect of green exercise and nut consumption on the memory of the elderly in Qazvin city

Poster Presentation
Paper ID : 1879-SSRC
Authors
1Master of Sports Nutrition, Department of Physical Education and sports sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Raja University, Qazvin, Iran
2Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Social Sciences, Raja University, Qazvin, Iran.
3Assistant Professor, Department of Sports Nutrition, Faculty of Social Sciences, Raja University, Qazvin, Iran
Abstract
Purpose: The population of elderly people is increasing, which is called the silent revolution. At this age, cognitive disorders such as memory loss are considered normal. The purpose of this research was the effect of 6 weeks of green exercise and nut consumption on the memory of the elderly in Qazvin city.
Methodology: In this semi-experimental and practical study, 48 elderly people aged 60 to 75 from Qazvin city were selected and randomly divided into 4 equal groups (green exercise, nut consumption, green exercise + nut consumption, and control). Green exercise was done three sessions a week and each session was 20 minutes of walking in the green space. The consumption of nuts was 250 grams (use of four nuts including: pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts) per week. The duration of the study was 6 weeks. People in the control group went about their normal lives. Wechsler's test was used to determine memory. This test was measured at the beginning and end of the study. Covariance test and Bonferroni post hoc test were used for data analysis.
Findings: The results of the data showed that there is a significant difference in the amount of memory between the groups of green exercise with control and nuts, green exercise + nuts with control and nuts (p=0.001). In fact, green exercise alone and in combination with the consumption of nuts had a significant effect on the memory of the elderly. Consumption of nuts alone had no significant effect on the memory of the elderly compared to the control group (p=0.09). Also, no significant difference was observed between the amount of memory changes in the green exercise group and the green + nut exercise group (p=0.17).
Conclusion: It seems that the elderly should follow a regular exercise program in order to prevent brain deterioration and improve memory function.
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