Home / Health / One Year of Aerobics 'De-ages' Brain
One Year of Aerobics 'De-ages' Brain
18 Feb
Summary
- Aerobic workouts for one year made brains appear measurably younger.
- Participants' fitness improved significantly over the 12-month study.
- Exercise may combat cognitive decline and dementia risks.
A year-long adherence to a simple aerobic exercise program can result in a measurably younger-appearing brain, according to recent scientific findings. Researchers observed that participants following a routine aerobic regimen for 12 months showed brains that appeared nearly a year younger on MRI scans compared to their actual age.
This study involved 130 healthy adults aged 26 to 58 who engaged in 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise weekly. This included supervised lab sessions and at-home workouts, gradually increasing intensity over the study period.
After one year, the exercise group demonstrated a notable decrease in brain age, while a control group experienced a slight increase. Scientists suggest that such exercise interventions might slow brain aging by positively impacting brain structure, inflammation, or vascular health.
These findings support current exercise guidelines and offer hope for delaying cognitive decline and dementia. Future larger studies aim to confirm if exercise can reduce risks of stroke and other age-related brain diseases.
