Following a simple, guideline-based aerobic workout programme for a year could make the brain “measurably younger”, scientists claim in a new study.
Researchers found that regularly following the exercise regimen for a year led to participants’ brains appearing nearly a year younger on MRI scans.
Studies have previously shown that regular exercise plays a meaningful role in slowing ageing and keeping the mind sharp as one grows older.
In particular, a consistent aerobic workout routine has been proven to prevent the brain from ageing faster. Aerobic exercises have been linked to sharper thinking, stronger memory, and better overall well-being.
But structured long-term studies looking into measurable brain effects of such workouts have been limited, say researchers.
In a new study, scientists subjected 130 healthy adults aged 26 to 58 to a 12-month intervention involving moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise and measured changes to their brains via Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans.
Local residents taking part in an aerobics exercise at a square in Jiamusi, in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang (AFP via Getty Images)
Participants in the exercise group attended two supervised 60-min sessions per week in a laboratory setting, along with at-home workouts to achieve 150 minutes of exercise per week.
They were guided to walk, jog, or run on a treadmill, as well as to record their use of aerobic exercise equipment such as bikes, elliptical machines, stair climbers, and rowers.
For the first six weeks, each participant was prescribed an exercise intensity that took them to 50 to 60 per cent of the maximum heart rate reserve (HRR), which is the difference between one’s maximum heart rate and resting heart rate.
The maximum heart rate is typically calculated using the formula of “220 – one’s age”, scientists explained.
“For the remainder of the intervention, participants increased their intensity to 60 to 75 per cent of HRR,” researchers wrote in the study published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science.
Participants’ fitness was estimated at the beginning and end of the 12-month study by measuring their peak oxygen uptake.
Brain ages of the participants were determined by estimating how old their brains appeared on MRI scans compared to their actual age.
Scientists found that the exercise group showed a measurable decrease in brain age after one year, while the control group experienced a slight increase.
“We found that a simple, guideline-based exercise programme can make the brain look measurably younger over just 12 months,” said Lu Wan, an author of the study from the AdventHealth Research Institute in the US.
“Studies like this offer hopeful guidance grounded in everyday habits,” Dr Wan said, adding that “even a one-year shift in brain age could matter over the course of decades”.
“From a lifespan perspective, nudging the brain in a younger direction in midlife could be very important,” said Kirk I. Erickson, another author of the study.
Researchers suspect exercise could be acting through additional mechanisms that haven’t been captured yet in studies.
Some subtle changes in brain structure, inflammation, vascular health, or other molecular factors due to routine exercise could be behind the slower ageing effects, they theorise.
They hope that larger studies conducted in the future with longer follow-up can determine whether exercise can reduce the risk of stroke, dementia, or other age-related brain diseases.
“If we can slow brain ageing before major problems appear, we may be able to delay or reduce the risk of later-life cognitive decline and dementia,” Dr Erickson said.
“Our findings support the idea that following current exercise guidelines – 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity – may help keep the brain biologically younger, even in midlife,” he added.