Aerobic exercise can increase mental fitness in older people

Aerobic physical exercises that aim to improve cardiovascular fitness also help boost how fast you can think, manual dexterity and how well you can concentrate on visual and auditory tasks, concludes a Cochrane Review.

This conclusion was drawn after Cochrane Researchers identified 11 studies that examined the effects of getting healthy people over the age of 55 to take on additional physical exercise. In these studies, participants showed an increase in at least one aspect of cognitive function.

“This benefit adds to the other known benefits of aerobic exercise,” says lead researcher Maaike Angevaren, who works in the Research Group Lifestyle and Health at the University of Applied Sciences, in Utrecht, Netherlands.

“Larger studies are still required to confirm whether the aerobic training component is necessary, or whether the same can be achieved with any type of physical exercise,” says Angevaren.

Source: Wiley