Physical Activity Helps the Mind

(July 1, 2010) - Getting teenagers out and active could make all the difference when they get older. Women who are physically active at any point over the life course (teenage, age 30, age 50, late life) have lower risk of cognitive impairment in late-life compared to those who are inactive, but teenage physical activity appears to be most important. (Read about "Fitness for Kids") This is the key finding of a study of over nine thousand women published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

There is growing evidence to suggest that people who are physically active in mid- and late life have lower chance of dementia (Read about "Dementia") and more minor forms of cognitive impairment in old age. However, there is a poorer understanding of the importance of early life physical activity and the relative importance of physical activity at different ages. Researchers compared the physical activity at teenage, age 30, age 50, and late life against cognition of 9,344 women to investigate the effectiveness of activity at different life stages.

Of the participants, 15.5 percent, 29.7 percent, 28.1 percent, and 21.1 percent reported being physically inactive at teenage, at 30 years, at 50 years, and in late life respectively; the increase in cognitive impairment for those who were inactive was between 50 percent and 100 percent at each time point.

"Our study shows that women who are regularly physically active at any age have lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who are inactive but that being physically active at teenage is most important in preventing cognitive impairment," said lead researcher Laura Middleton, PhD.

The researchers also found that women who were physically inactive at teenage but became physically active at age 30 and age 50 had significantly reduced odds of cognitive impairment relative to those who remained physically inactive.

Related Information:

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