A new study published in the journal Age and Aging has shown that regular moderate-to-vigorous exercise improves various aspects of brain health, including processing speed, working memory, and executive function in older individuals.
The cross-sectional study examined how time spent in various activities during a 24-hour day, including sleep, sedentary time, light activity, and moderate-to-vigorous activity, was linked to cognitive performance in older adults (ages 65 to 80 years old). The study included nearly 650 older adults who had no signs of cognitive impairment. Their activity levels throughout the day were measured using wrist-worn accelerometers, and their cognitive performance was measured using various tests. Exercise has been linked to brain health in previous studies, and the goal of this study was to see how brain health is linked time spent in various activity levels throughout a 24-hour day.
The results showed that time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was linked to better processing speed, working memory, and executive function in the brain. The biggest leaps in cognitive performance were seen between doing no moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day and doing as little as 5 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day. Cognitive benefits continued to improve with higher amounts of daily moderate-to-vigorous activity, and doing less activity in this category was associated with worse cognitive performance. The results remained true across various demographic groups, and there was not a limit to the levels of moderate-to-vigorous activity that continued to improve cognitive performance. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is activity that significantly raises your heart rate; it can include briskly walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, heavy yard work, and more.
The researchers noted that we each have 24 hours in our day, and how we choose to spend those hours could significantly impact our brain health. Levels of activity may influence our brain health through various mechanisms, including increased blood flow and better sleep at night. In addition to benefitting our brain health, physical activity has been linked to many other health benefits, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Sources: Age and Aging, Science Daily
