Research study Shrinking brain due to insufficient fitness

Too little exercise and exercise can cause our brain to shrink later in life
In old age, people physically and mentally degrade. The performance of our brain is getting worse and many older people are experiencing initial problems remembering certain events. But not only the performance is getting worse, but also our brain itself is starting to shrink. This process is supported by many factors. When people do little exercise in the middle of their lives and barely move, it causes more brain shrinkage, American experts say.

Older people are often forgetful and can remember worse about past events. In old age, the performance of the human body degrades and the brain is no exception. But not only the performance decreases, but also the brain itself shrinks, explain the researchers from the "Boston University School of Medicine". In their study, the physicians investigated the development of the brain during aging and published its findings in the journal "Neurology".

Those who are physically fit at the age of 40 will show less severe shrinkage of the brain later in life. (Image: contrastwerkstatt / fotolia.com)

Researchers discover a connection between fitness and brain aging
Current research confirms that shrinking the brain is an inevitable part of the aging process. The physicians also found that physical inactivity accelerates this process. Smoking, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure also promote brain shrinkage, explain the researchers. Two decades later, bad fitness in the middle of our lives leads to faster shrinkage of the brain volume, explains lead author Dr. Nicole Spartano from the Boston University School of Medicine. This message could be particularly important for people with heart disease or at risk for heart disease. Such individuals have found an even stronger link between fitness and brain aging, adds Dr. Spartano added.

Study examined just under 1,600 subjects on their fitness
A total of 1,583 people participated in the study. In a treadmill test, the fitness level was assessed when the subjects were on average 40 years old. All subjects were free of dementia and heart disease at this time, the researchers explain. Almost two decades later, the researchers re-examined their subjects. The participants had to do another test on the treadmill. In addition, the physicians carried out a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brains of the subjects. At this time they were about 58 years old. In the first treadmill test, 89 percent of the participants reached their target heart rate. This frequency is just below peak power, the researchers estimate. At this time, participants had an average load capacity of 39 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute (ml / kg / min). This value represents the maximum amount of oxygen our body can use in one minute. The value 39 is quite typical for non-athletes around the age of 40 years.

Also sports in later age improves the health
Two decades later, the scientists noted that people with below-average fitness in the first test had a lower total brain volume than the other participants. Each 8 ml / kg / min below the average performance level in the first test was associated with a reduction in brain volume, which is comparable to two additional years of brain aging, explain the American researchers. People whose blood pressure and heart rate increased during the first treadmill test (an indication of poor fitness) also had smaller brains two decades later. Over the course of the study, the number of people with high blood pressure rose, from nine percent to 28 percent, the doctors report.

The physical activity in our middle age has a big impact on the health of our brain, Dr. Spartano. If you have not done a lot of sports in your life and you are starting to move more after the age of 40, it still has a positive effect on our brains, say the experts. In some people, who were 50 years or older and began aerobic exercise, perception and neural health improved after less than six weeks, explain the physicians. Most people do not meet the minimum recommended levels of physical activity, and those should be motivated to become physically active at a later age, researchers say. Each week, adults must exercise at least 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking and workouts to strengthen the muscles. Ideally, for example, aerobics and strength training are combined with stabilization exercises to improve balance and coordination, the physicians add. (As)