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Physical
Fitness May Protect Aging Brain Mon
Feb 16, 7:04 PM ET By
Merritt McKinney
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Being physically fit may be good for the aging brain,
researchers report. In
a new study of older adults, higher levels of physical fitness were associated
with improved mental abilities. The
results highlight the importance of staying in shape, according to one of the
study authors. "Fitness
training can enhance brain and mental function," Dr. Arthur F. Kramer, of
the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told
Reuters Health. Even
moderate physical activity may keep the brain in tip-top shape, according to
Kramer. "By
increased fitness we are not talking about going from a sedentary lifestyle to
running a marathon but instead to walking a couple of miles a few times a
week," he said. "Older
adults can maintain and indeed enhance cognitive and brain function with modest
amounts of aerobic exercise," Kramer said. Several
animal studies have shown that aerobic training has a positive effect on the
brain. It improves blood flow in the brain, encourages the formation of new
neurons and increases the number of connections called synapses that form
between neurons. Whether
physical fitness has the same effect in people, however, has been uncertain. Now,
Kramer and his colleagues have found that being in shape does seem to benefit
the brain in people. A report on the findings is being published in the early
online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Kramer
and his colleagues performed two sets of experiments involving older adults. In
the first study, 41 people who had no signs of dementia underwent an exercise
test to evaluate their physical fitness. They also measured brain activity while
participants performed a task that required them to pay close attention. Older
adults who had a high level of physical fitness performed better on the
activity. What's more, people who were in better shape demonstrated much more
activity in parts of the brain that are believed to be involved in attention. In
the second study, participants were randomly assigned to one of two exercise
groups. One group participated in stretching and toning activities several days
a week, while the other group focused on aerobic activity, such as walking. At
the end of the 6-month program, older adults in the aerobic group improved their
cardiovascular health. This improvement in heart health corresponded with a
significant improvement on the attention activity. In addition, they experienced
an increase in brain activity in areas related to attention. In
contrast, there were no significant changes in people in the stretching and
toning group. SOURCE:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition, February 16,
2004. |