Yesterday we posted that you should Exercise to keep your brain alive and well…
Specifically, we reported studies demonstrating that aerobic exercise stimulates the development of new brain cells … a process called neurogenesis.
Then, yesterday afternoon, I spotted this on the wires:
A team of German scientists concluded that improving physical fitness leads to improved cognitive ability, including elevated memory retention and superior problem solving
Specifically…
=============
The researchers tested over 1,200 young adults — average age 30.
The subjects were given a physical fitness test, followed up by some cognitive tests and an assessment of their MRI brain scans.
Researchers determined that young, healthy adults who were most physically fit scored the highest on the cognitive performance tests.
Why?
The fittest participants displayed better structural integrity of white matter in their brains… and matter helps improve the speed and quality of interconnecting nerves in the brain.
The surprise:
According to the researchers:
We knew how this might be important in an elderly population which does not necessarily have good health.
But to see this happening in 30 year olds is surprising.
This leads us to believe that a basic level of fitness seems to be a preventable risk factor for brain health regardless of age.
Need more motivation to hit the gym?
=============
Follow on Twitter @KenHoma
#HomaFiles
Leave a Reply