Further evidence that physical activity helps maintain brain health

A large study has found that physical exercise helps maintain brain size as we age—regardless of body mass.

The study included more than 16,700 people, average age of 65 years, and was led by Monash University’s Associate Professor Chris Moran from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and was published in Scientific Reports. It found that the association between greater physical activity and better brain volume remains, regardless of a person’s body mass or cardiometabolic health.

People who are overweight and obese in midlife carry the highest risk of cognitive decline. Current consensus guidelines recommend regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy BMI to promote brain health, particularly during midlife, because the pathological changes of dementia often appear decades prior to the onset of symptoms.

However, according to Associate Professor Moran, who is also from the National Center for Healthy Aging, it has been unclear whether the benefits of physical activity on brain health are impacted by a person’s level of being overweight or obese.

The study looked at MRIs of brain volume as well as physical activity and BMI in people in mid to late life, via the UK Biobank.

The study found that although BMI, waist circumference and cardiometabolic risk factors were related to brain health (as determined by volume), “greater physical activity remained independently associated with healthier brains,” Associate Professor Moran said.