How much does exercising consistently help the brain?

In the past, some people would think that with age, especially after the age of 60 or 70, it seems that it is less and less suitable for exercise, and should be recuperated

In order to determine whether exercise can make older people healthier and live longer, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has conducted the largest relevant study in the world to date: Generation 100

Among them, the elderly who were assigned to the control group followed the recommendations of the Norwegian health authorities and independently performed 30 minutes of physical activity every day; the experimental intervention group performed aerobic exercise 2 times a week, 1 hour each time, and regularly participated in spinning exercises.

The research team followed these participants closely, checking their health status, including physical and mental performance, multiple times before, 1, 3, and 5 years after the program began

prevent cognitive impairment

The research paper, published in Sports Medicine, highlights that consistent exercise can help prevent mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is considered an early stage of Alzheimer's disease

The researchers assessed the changes in physical fitness of the participants before and after 5 years through maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), which can well reflect cardiorespiratory function

"Mild cognitive impairment can lead to dementia

Brain shrinkage is lower than expected

Another research paper looked at the effects of exercise interventions from the perspective of brain structure

The cerebral cortex is responsible for some key cognitive functions such as attention, the ability to make choices, working memory, abstract thinking, and more

The analysis showed that older people with stronger cardiorespiratory fitness had a lower rate of cerebral cortex atrophy over the 5-year period

Analyses of brain atrophy also showed that some structures within the brain, such as the hippocampus and thalamus, shrank to a greater extent in participants who underwent high- and moderate-intensity training than in controls who did physical activity on their own

There is no limit to the form, enhancing physical fitness is the key

According to the design of the Generation 100 study, half of the participants in the experimental intervention group performed high-intensity interval training (HIIT), half of them performed moderate-intensity exercise training (MICT), and regularly participated in specialized fitness classes; the control group was randomly selected for physical activity.

The researchers found that the benefits of specially organized training sessions were greater for older men than for older women, and were more helpful in reducing the risk of mild cognitive impairment and maintaining better cognitive function

Another research paper led by Professor Håberg also analyzed cognitive function and found that participants with better physical ability responded faster, and as physical fitness increased, the short-term memory of the elderly improved

"It's also worth noting that five years later, participants aged 70-77 had overall maintained the level of cognitive performance at the start of the program, and their performance on certain tests improved during the study period,

Therefore, for those who are in good health and entering retirement age, both fitness training and daily exercise can provide benefits by enhancing physical fitness

As for what form of exercise to choose, the researchers offer their advice: "There are different paths to get there, the most important thing is to find something you enjoy and stick to it for a long time
.
Whether it's for health maintenance or health promotion, you should Exercise regularly and get yourself the kind of sweaty and out of breath
.
”

References:

[1] Zotcheva, E.
, et al.
, (2021).
Effects of 5 Years Aerobic Exercise on Cognition in Older Adults: The Generation 100 Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Sports Medicine.
Doi: https://doi.
org /10.
1007/s40279-021-01608-5

[2] Sokolowski, DR, et al.
, (2021).
5 Years of Exercise Intervention Did Not Benefit Cognition Compared to the Physical Activity Guidelines in Older Adults, but Higher Cardiorespiratory Fitness Did.
A Generation 100 Substudy.
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
Doi: https://doi.
org/10.
3389/fnagi.
2021.
742587

[3] Pani, J.
, et al.
, (2021).
Effect of 5 Years of Exercise Intervention at Different Intensities on Brain Structure in Older Adults from the General Population: A Generation 100 Substudy.
Clinical Interventions in Aging, 16, 1485 -1501.
Doi: https://doi.
org/10.
2147/CIA.
S318679

[4] Older people in good shape have fitter brains.
Retrieved Feb.
15, 2022 from https://norwegianscitechnews.
com/2022/02/older-people-in-good-shape-have-fitter-brains/

[5] Generation 100: Does exercise make older adults live longer? Retrieved Feb.
15, 2022 from https://