Regular aerobic exercise makes the brain "biologically younger."
Regular aerobic exercise can make the brain "biologically younger" even in middle age. This conclusion was reached by researchers who published the results of a clinical study in the Journal of Sport and Health Science (JSHS).
The study involved 130 healthy adults aged 26 to 58. For a year, one group performed moderate to high-intensity aerobic workouts—about 150 minutes per week, in accordance with sports medicine recommendations—while the other group maintained their usual level of physical activity. At the beginning and end of the study, participants underwent MRI scans of their brains and assessed the so-called brain age—a measure reflecting how much older or younger the brain appears compared to the person's actual age.
The results showed that those who regularly engaged in aerobic exercises had an average "brain age" that decreased by approximately 0.6 years. In contrast, participants in the control group experienced a slight increase. In total, the difference between the groups amounted to nearly one year in favor of physically active individuals—and this was achieved in just 12 months.
According to the authors, even seemingly small changes like these can be significant in the long term: previous studies have linked each additional "year" of brain aging to a higher risk of cognitive decline and health problems in older age.
