Physical fitness may protect aging brain

NEW YORK – Being physically fit may be good for the aging brain, researchers report.

In a new study of older adults, higher levels of physical fitness were associated with improved mental abilities. The results highlight the importance of staying in shape, according to one of the study authors.”Fitness training can enhance brain and mental function,” Dr Arthur F.Kramer, of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told Reuters Health.Even moderate physical activity may keep the brain in tip-top shape, according to Kramer.”By increased fitness we are not talking about going from a sedentary lifestyle to running a marathon but instead to walking a couple of miles a few times a week,” he said.”Older adults can maintain and indeed enhance cognitive and brain function with modest amounts of aerobic exercise,” Kramer said.Several animal studies have shown that aerobic training has a positive effect on the brain.It improves blood flow in the brain, encourages the formation of new neurons and increases the number of connections called synapses that form between neurons.Whether physical fitness has the same effect in people, however, has been uncertain.Now, Kramer and his colleagues have found that being in shape does seem to benefit the brain in people.A report on the findings is being published in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.- Nampa-ReutersThe results highlight the importance of staying in shape, according to one of the study authors.”Fitness training can enhance brain and mental function,” Dr Arthur F.Kramer, of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told Reuters Health.Even moderate physical activity may keep the brain in tip-top shape, according to Kramer.”By increased fitness we are not talking about going from a sedentary lifestyle to running a marathon but instead to walking a couple of miles a few times a week,” he said.”Older adults can maintain and indeed enhance cognitive and brain function with modest amounts of aerobic exercise,” Kramer said.Several animal studies have shown that aerobic training has a positive effect on the brain.It improves blood flow in the brain, encourages the formation of new neurons and increases the number of connections called synapses that form between neurons.Whether physical fitness has the same effect in people, however, has been uncertain.Now, Kramer and his colleagues have found that being in shape does seem to benefit the brain in people.A report on the findings is being published in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.- Nampa-Reuters