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Aerobic exercises for the brain?The answer is B. Exercise improves the brain as we age. Researchers at the University of Illinois recently found that there is a relationship between high and low cardiovascular fitness and neural degeneration. As people grow older, the gray and white matter that makes up the brain begins to shrink. A person loses about 25% of his cerebral white matter from age 30 to 90, adversely affecting brain function. However, the U of I researchers found that aging people who regularly exercised showed a smaller decrease in the volume of gray and white matter. The study was conducted on 55 subjects, between ages 55 and 79, categorized as fit and not fit. Magnetic resonance imaging studies (MRIs) of their brains were compared to determine the amount of gray and white matter in the three parts of the brain most affected by aging. Gray matter is made up of tissues containing neurons that support learning and memory. White matter contains the nerve fibers that transmit signals throughout the brain. The MRIs revealed that the aging but fit adults showed less degeneration of gray and white matter. Another interesting finding of the study is that aerobic exercise showed the greatest benefit. Though other forms of exercise do have beneficial effects, aerobic exercise showed the greatest benefits because it quickens the heart rate for a sustained period. It had long been theorized that exercise improves cellular and molecular
functions of the brain, but this was the first empirical study confirming
the theory. So get out there and exercise for your physical and mental
fitness!
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