FRIDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise may help people maintain cognitive abilities well into older age, according to a review of 40 years worth of data presented at the 114th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in New Orleans.
Arthur F. Kramer, Ph.D., of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and colleagues examined the epidemiological literature to determine whether exercise and physical activity improve cognitive ability and decrease the likelihood of age-related neurological diseases. The researchers also reviewed randomized trials to see if a specific fitness regimen had an effect on cognition and brain function in older adults. They looked at animal studies to better understand the mechanisms responsible for these effects.
The investigators found that physical activity did decrease the occurrence of dementia and the benefits may last several decades. Older adults who engaged in fitness training or an increased level of exercise may have more efficient brain function and retained brain volume, than their less-active counterparts. Moreover, animals perform spatial tasks better when they are active, the study found.
While more research is needed on the specific types of exercise likely to benefit cognitive function, "we have found that physical and aerobic exercise training can lower the risk for developing some undesirable age-related changes in cognitive and brain functions," said Kramer said in a statement.
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