Run for it: Intense exercise leads to better brain power in midlife

LONDON (AA) : Exercise is key to health, they say, and they are not wrong. It turns out that the amount of time spent doing moderate or vigorous physical activity in midlife can actually help enhance brain power, once again showcasing the importance of healthy lifestyle choices, according to new research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The novel study showed that exercise intensity levels might have an impact on cognitive performance in later life.

“Engagement in physical activity (PA) has been linked to the building of cognitive reserve, which delays the onset of cognitive decline in later life. However, all aspects of PA, including intensity and volume, decrease throughout the life course, which might have consequences for cognition later in life,” the research said.

The study found that the intensity level was related to better working memory and mental processes while changing it with just six to seven minutes of sedentary behavior was associated with poorer cognitive performance.

They drew on United Kingdom-born participants in the 1970 British Cohort Study whose health was examined throughout childhood and adulthood.

In a follow-up study between 2016 and 2018, a total of 8,581 participants aged 46 to 47 took various cognitive tests for verbal memory and executive function, which were used to examine cross-sectional associations between 24-hour movement behaviors and standardized cognition scores.