Physical activity helps the brain's wellness, says a study.
That exercise helps maintain good health is well known, but it also improves your brain's wellness, say researchers.
New
research conducted at University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign
suggests exercise plays a vital role in maintaining the brain and
cognitive health throughout life.
Exercise
appears to change brain structure, prompting the growth of new nerve
cells and blood vessels. It also increases the production of
neurochemicals that promote growth, differentiation, survival, and
repair of brain cells.
Michelle W. Voss and her colleagues reviewed 111 recent human and animal studies.
They
showcased the effects of aerobic exercise and strength training on
humans, from children to elderly adults, the Journal of Applied
Physiology reports.
For
example, physical inactivity is linked with poorer academic
performance, while exercise programmes appear to improve memory,
attention, and decision—making.
These
effects also extend to young and elderly adults, with solid evidence
for aerobic training benefiting executive functions, including
multi—tasking, planning, and inhibition, and increasing the volume of
brain structures important for memory.
Although
few studies have evaluated the results of strength training on brain
health in children, studies in elderly adults suggest that
high—intensity and high—load training can improve memory.
This study also highlights gaps in scientific literature.
For
example, the authors note that more research is needed on how a
particular type of exercise might promote different consequences on
brain health and cognition.
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