Exercising older brains
CAN A new exercise regimen boost your brain health if you’re over 50?
Possibly, suggests a new research review that found middle-age folks can improve their thinking and memory skills by adopting regular moderate-to-vigorous routines involving aerobic and resistance exercise.
“When we combined the available data from (39 previous) studies, we were able to show that undertaking physical exercise was able to improve the brain function of people aged 50 and over,” said study lead author Joseph Northey, a doctoral candidate and teaching fellow at the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise in Australia.
The review included 18 studies that looked at the impact of aerobic exercise – such as walking, running and swimming – on thinking, alertness, information processing, executing goals and memory skills.
Resistance training, such as weight lifting, was the focus of 13 studies. Another 10 studies looked at various types of exercise done in combination. And, a handful of studies specifically explored the impact of tai chi and yoga on brain health.
Study participants did their exercise under some degree of supervision, the researchers noted. Activity routines were categorised in terms of exercise type, intensity and length. They were then stacked up against the results of tests that measured brain performance.
In the end, the researchers determined that exercise did help brain health. However, different forms of exercise were linked to different types of benefits.
For example, aerobic exercise and tai chi appeared to enhance overall brain function. Resistance training was linked to improved memory.
Northey added that, besides highlighting the benefits of aerobic exercise, “being able to show that resistance training – such as lifting weights or using body weight – was similarly beneficial is a very novel and important finding”.
“Combining both aerobic and resistance training is ideal,” he said.
The research team also concluded that the biggest brain boost comes from routines that are of moderate to vigorous intensity conducted for between 45 minutes to an hour.
The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. – New York Times