People who were active at least three times a week saw benefits for their episodic memory, it was said. The greatest results were seen in those aged 55 to 68.
Study author Sarah Aghjayan, from the University of Pittsburgh, US, said: “Exercising three times a week for at least four months is how much you need to reap the benefits in episodic memory.”
The team analysed data from 36 previous studies involving almost 3,000 people to establish the link between memory and exercise.
The findings are published in the journal Communications Medicine. Meanwhile, separate research has suggested that mental speed does not start to slow until people turn 60, four decades later than was previously thought.
The study by experts at Heidelberg University, Germany, is published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.