Exercise helps brain matter

Cardiorespiratory fitness can change seniors’ brains, new research reveals.

Boston University researchers said the news could mean exercise for seniors can lessen age-related decline. Cardiorespiratory fitness was “linked to the structural integrity of white matter fiber bundles in the brain in the older adults,” with no similar association for younger adults, they said.

Physical activities that enhance cardiorespiratory fitness, such as walking, are inexpensive, accessible and could potentially improve quality of life,said corresponding author Scott Hayes, Ph.D.

Findings were in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology