Fact checked by Nick Blackmer Your morning run might be pulling double duty for your health. Of course, it’s good for your heart, but it also might protect you from dementia. A groundbreaking study exploring the relationship between exercise and insulin in the brain suggests regular physical exercise can improve brain function,

Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have found that intracranial hemorrhages, or "brain bleeds," caused by a ruptured blood vessel in the brain, double a person's risk of developing dementia later in life.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to eat healthier, you’re doing your heart a favor. And, a new study suggests that a diet that helps the heart can

Exercise may help lower your dementia risk by about 20%, depending on the type, Malin says. “From this, it seems fair to suggest exercise, along with diet and mental activities, are foundational lifestyle approaches maintain and improve brain health,” Malin says. “Exercise should absolutely be a tool in the toolbox.”

“We consistently see a higher risk of dementia in people who have had a brain bleed, no matter what type it is,” said Dr. Samuel Bruce, the study’s first author and a neurologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

New research found that working out starts a chain reaction that can lower your risk of dementia. Here's exactly how it works—and how long it takes.