Early Fitness
Better Brain Health
Monash University 30-Year Study
Monash University gave us the FODMAP diet. And much more. This place does a lot of cool research!
Well, they are at it again.
Now they did a 30-year study. Not easy to do.
They followed 1200 people who were children in 1985 for over 30 years, tracking cognition.
What They Found
They found that performance on physical tests is related to better cognition later in life and may protect against dementia in later years. Importantly these findings are not impacted by academic ability and socioeconomic status in childhood, or by smoking and alcohol consumption in midlife.
This means kids who develop muscular strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and endurance due to sport and activity earlier in life have better health outcomes later in life.
Higher adult fitness is also associated with better cognition and a reduced risk of dementia later in life.
The researchers found that children with the highest levels of cardio-respiratory and muscular fitness and lower average waist-to-hip ratio had higher midlife scores in tests of processing speed and attention and global cognitive function.
It is never too late to start to exercise, but the earlier you start the better your brain will be!
Dr. B.
Reference:
Longitudinal associations of childhood fitness and obesity profiles with midlife cognitive function: an Australian cohort study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2022; DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2022.05.009