Exercise is linked to having better cognition later in life, although there is not a strong tie between staying active and improved cognitive ability, according to a new analysis of multiple studies.
Even though the authors acknowledged that the association was weak, it’s still important for people to know about the link, authors of the Feb. 1 report in JAMA Network Open said.
As part of their research, the team led by Paula Iso-Markku, MD, a researcher at the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, evaluated 104 studies spanning 341,471 participants. The studies looked at physical activity and cognition.
Exercise was associated with a decreased incidence of cognitive impairment or decline, but there wasn’t a significant association in follow-ups longer than 10 years, the authors wrote. Physical activity was associated with follow-up global cognition and change in global cognition, with no clear link between how much exercise people got and their response.
The authors pointed out that they wanted more robust data with longer follow-up spans. But they said their study did add more data compared with previous research on the topic.
Specifically, staying active was linked to a few cognitive domains: episodic memory and verbal fluency. The results for executive function were mixed, they added.
“This systematic review and meta-analysis found only minimal associations between physical activity and cognition,” the authors wrote. “These very small estimates are more in line with a recent umbrella review of randomized clinical trials showing very small effects sizes between physical activity and cognition than with earlier meta-analyses of observational studies on physical activity and cognition, which showed moderate associations.”
On Jan. 10, a study in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that people who stick to at least some of the six lifestyle factors that support brain health can lower their risk for dementia.
