Exercise habits in youth become health assets in middle and old age. According to Taiwan's China Times on June 2, the latest US research indicates that young adults in their 20s who consistently run and exercise their cardiovascular function can protect their brainpower. By the time they reach middle age, their cognitive abilities and memory will be better, which also helps prevent cognitive impairment.
A research team from the University of Minnesota in the United States selected 2,747 healthy adults aged 18 to 30 as subjects in 1985. During the cardiopulmonary function test, participants were asked to run at full speed on a treadmill until they could no longer continue or became breathless, with an average running time of 10 minutes. Twenty years later, the same group was asked to take the same running test, and the results showed an average decrease of 2.9 minutes in running time. Five years after that, the subjects were asked to participate in a visual memory test to evaluate their cognitive abilities, including verbal memory, the speed of brain-controlled movements, and executive function. In the verbal memory test, participants were shown 15 words and asked to recall them after 10 minutes; in the brain-controlled movement speed test, they were required to remember the numbers represented by certain meaningless symbols; in the executive function test, they were given brain teasers, such as writing the word "yellow" with a green pen, and then being asked what color the pen was.
The study found that for every additional minute participants ran in the initial test 25 years ago, their verbal memory test accuracy increased by 0.12 words, and their accuracy in identifying numbers represented by meaningless symbols increased by 0.92 digits. The smaller the difference in running time between the two tests, the better the performance in the executive function test. Additionally, for every additional word remembered in the memory test, the risk of developing cognitive impairment 10 years later decreased by 18%. Dr. Jacob, the lead researcher of the study, pointed out that the results show that aerobic exercises such as running, swimming, and cycling are beneficial to brain health and can reduce the risk of cognitive impairment.
Similarly, a new study from the University of Tsukuba and Chuo University in Japan also shows that just 10 minutes of jogging per day can improve cognitive function. This study is the first to confirm that even light physical activity can have positive effects on brain health, which is undoubtedly good news for the elderly.