Following a simple, guideline-based aerobic workout program for a year can keep the brain healthy.measurably young”, scientists have claimed in a new study.
Researchers found that following a year of regular exercise made participants’ brains appear about a year younger. MRI scan.
Studies have previously shown that regular exercise plays a significant role in slow aging And keeping the brain sharp as we age.
In particular, a consistent aerobic workout routine prevents the brain from aging rapidly. Aerobic exercise has been linked to sharper thinking, stronger memory, and better overall well-being.
But researchers say structured long-term studies looking at measurable brain effects of such workouts are limited.
In a new study, scientists followed 12 months of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic exercise on 130 healthy adults aged 26 to 58 and measured changes in their brains via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
Local residents take part in aerobics exercises at an intersection in Jiamusi in Heilongjiang, northeast China (AFP via Getty Images)
Participants in the exercise group participated in two supervised 60-minute sessions per week in a laboratory setting along with at-home workouts to achieve 150 minutes of exercise per week.
They were directed to walk, jog or run on a treadmill, as well as record their use of aerobic exercise equipment such as bikes, elliptical machines, stair climbers and rowers.
For the first six weeks, each participant was assigned an exercise intensity that took them to 50 to 60 percent of maximum heart rate reserve (HRR), which is the difference between one’s maximum heart rate and resting heart rate.
Scientists reported that maximum heart rate is typically calculated using the formula “220 – one’s age.”
“For the remainder of the intervention, participants increased their intensity to 60 to 75 percent of HRR,” the researchers write in the published study. Journal of Sports and Health Sciences.
The participants’ fitness was estimated by measuring their maximum oxygen consumption at the beginning and end of the 12-month study.
The participants’ brain age was determined by estimating how old their brains appeared on MRI scans compared to their actual age.
The scientists found that the exercise group saw a measurable reduction in brain age after one year, while the control group experienced a modest increase.
“We found that a simple, guideline-based exercise program could make the brain look significantly younger in just 12 months,” said study author Lu Wan, of the AdventHealth Research Institute in the US.
“Studies like this provide optimistic guidance based on everyday habits,” Dr. Wan said, adding, “Even one-year changes in brain age can have implications over the course of decades.”
“From a lifespan perspective, moving the brain in a youthful direction in midlife may be very important,” said Kirk I. Erickson, another author of the study.
Researchers suspect that exercise may act through additional mechanisms that have not yet been covered in studies.
They believe that some subtle changes in brain structure, inflammation, vascular health or other molecular factors caused by regular exercise may be behind the slowing effects of aging.
They hope that future larger studies with longer follow-up can determine whether exercise can reduce the risk of stroke, dementia or other age-related brain diseases.
“If we can slow brain aging before major problems appear, we may be able to prevent or reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in later life,” Dr. Erickson said.
They said, “Our findings support the idea that following current exercise guidelines – 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity per week – may help keep the brain biologically young, even in midlife.”
