Moderate to intense exercise could help the brain fend off aging in older people, according to a new study by neurologists at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine.
The study, which was published online Wednesday in
Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found an association with older people who exercised and the slowing rate of decline in thinking skills that occurs with aging,
said a statement from the University of Miami.
Light to no exercise had a decline equivalent to 10 more years of aging when compared to people who exercised moderately or more intensively, the study found.
"The number of people over the age of 65 in the United States is on the rise, meaning the public health burden of thinking and memory problems will likely grow," Dr. Clinton B. Wright, associate professor of neurology at the Miller School of Medicine, said in the university statement.
"Our study showed that for older people, getting regular exercise may be protective, helping them keep their cognitive abilities longer," he continued.
According to NBC News, the 900 people connected to the study were part of a larger study called the Northern Manhattan Study. The participants were asked about their exercise habits during the previous two weeks and then tested for memory and thinking skills seven years later.
The tested participants were also given an MRI and then tested for memory and thinking skills five years later, according to NBC News. Those who participated in moderate to high-intensity activities — such as running, racquetball, aerobics, and calisthenics — scored better on those tests 12 years later.
"Physical activity is an attractive option to reduce the burden of cognitive impairment in public health because it is low cost and doesn't interfere with medications," Wright said in the university statement. "Our results suggest that moderate to intense exercise may help older people delay aging of the brain, but more research from randomized clinical trials comparing exercise programs to more sedentary activity is needed to confirm these results."
NBC News wrote that the Neurology study correlated with a 2012 study that found that two years of exercising, eating better, and brain training could increase the memory function in humans.