Older people who take part in vigorous exercise help to keep their minds sharp, a new US study has revealed.
A population-based observational study published in the latest edition of Neurology found that physical exercise is linked to a slower rate of decline in thinking skills among older people.
However, those who reported light to no exercise experienced a decline that is equivalent to 10 more years of ageing.
Dr Clinton Wright, of the University of Miami in Miami, Florida, said the study showed that for older people, getting regular exercise may be protective, helping them keep their cognitive abilities longer.
Researchers examined the data of 876 people who were enrolled in the Northern Manhattan Study and who were asked how long and how often they exercised during the two weeks prior to that date.
After an average of seven years, each person took memory tests, thinking skills tests and had a brain MRI. The same process was repeated five years later.
Ten per cent of the group reported moderate to high intensity exercise, which included running, aerobics, or calisthenics, while 90% said they undertook light exercise, such as yoga and walking, or no exercise.
Those reporting low activity levels showed a greater decline over five years compared to those with high activity levels on tests of how fast they could perform simple tasks and how many words they could remember from a list – equivalent to 10 years of ageing.
“Physical activity is an attractive option to reduce the burden of cognitive impairment in public health because it is low cost and doesn’t interfere with medications,” said Dr Wright.
“Our results suggest that moderate to intense exercise may help older people delay aging of the brain, but more research from randomised clinical trials comparing exercise programs to more sedentary activity is needed to confirm these results.”
The study was undertaken by the University of Miami and Columbia University and was supported by the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Neurology 23 March 2016 [abstract]
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