Table tennis players have always known about the health benefits of playing table tennis. Now another report has emerged telling us that table tennis could be a lifesaver. As well as improving your co-ordination and muscle strength, it can even make your brain grow. The brain naturally shrinks with age, but scientists believe that any exertion might be helpful in increasing general blood flow.
What exercise is best though? Dr Matthew Kempton, from Kings College London, put two groups through their paces – and performed regular brain scans.
One group completed a walking programme and the other a table tennis challenge.
Both groups saw improvements to the brain after 10 weeks. With the walkers the part of the brain affecting memory and special navigation is the area most boosted. More aerobic activity than normal is thought to have caused new neurons, the basic building blocks of the nervous system, to form.
The most striking results came from the table tennis players. When measurements were taken of the cortex of the brain, responsible for complex thinking, their cortex layers had got thicker. This was probably due to the focus needed for hand to eye co-ordination.