People with Alzheimer's who exercise regularly had less brain damage, a finding researchers said may one day lead to development of a treatment to slow the disease.

Physically fit patients with mild cognitive impairment had less brain shrinkage than those who weren't so well conditioned, according to a study released today in the journal Neurology. Brain function declines as the disease progressively kills nerve cells, causing the organ to lose volume, researchers said.

Previous studies showed exercise improves thinking and memory, in people with normal brain activity, by boosting blood flow and elevating growth hormones, the scientists said. The new findings extend this connection to people with Alzheimer's. Understanding how exercise affects the brain could help scientists find a new target for drugs, the researchers said.

``Until now, there was no data to suggest people with Alzheimer's may benefit from regular exercise,'' said the study's lead author, Jeffrey Burns, in a telephone interview on July 11. - See Physical Fitness Linked to Brain Health, Alzheimer's Study Says for the complete article.