Older people who exercise may experience a slower rate of cognitive decline than those who don’t exercise, according to a new study. Now, a new study suggests it can help delay brain ageing in older people. At the time of the first test, they also underwent MRI scans of the brain, which allowed the researchers to look for changes associated with early mental impairment. Most were followed for about five years, at the end of which their performance in a range of cognitive domains was compared with their baseline scores.
Advertisement
In a study of 876 people, those who reported no or low exercise experienced greater reductions in memory and information processing speed over a five year period than those who reported moderate to intense exercise.
The latest research, published Wednesday in the journal Neurology, is the most recent study to underscore the importance of moderate to intensive exercise in healthy aging.
Light exercise could include activities such as walking and yoga. The researchers are now studying a group of patients immersed in physical activity with activity monitors that will show if these scores maintain over time. The remaining 10 percent were categorized as high intensity exercisers and reported participating in activities like running, aerobics, and calisthenics. In the two weeks prior to the date of the study, the group of participants was surveyed on the length and duration of their physical activities. “The population of people 65 and older in the United States is increasing, and so should our efforts in helping these individuals do everything they can to live long lives with their memories intact”.
After analyzing results of people who did not show any signs of cognitive difficulties at the beginning of the study, Wright’s team found that those who were in the low activity group performed worse on simple tasks and memory tests, such as remembering words from a list, than those in the high activity group.
The team found that each person’s initial performance in tests helped predict how well they would do five years later, suggesting that, while beneficial, exercise can not change a person’s trajectory once their mental ability has begun to decline.
The difference was equal to that of 10 years of aging, according to a press release.
The difference remained after the researchers controlled for other factors that could affect brain health, including smoking, alcohol use, high blood pressure and body mass index. “Once there’s damage, you can’t really reverse it”, says Wright.
“It seems like we’re not going to get off easy”, he said.
The findings do not prove that exercise itself slows brain aging, cautioned senior researcher Dr. Clinton Wright, a neurologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
Advertisement
The cognitive decline study was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Health Institute. NewYork-Presbyterian also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital.
