Study: Life-Long Aerobic Training Preserves White Matter Integrity

It is well-documented that fat people are more demented and stupider than intended-size humans.

Motor control and memory are better in older adults who exercise, according to research being presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine and 2nd World Congress on Exercise is Medicine®.

The study measured brain structure and cognitive function of ten Masters athletes averaging 73 years of age compared with ten sedentary people of similar ages and education levels. The athletes, who had engaged in competitive aerobic training for at least 15 years, showed better white matter fiber integrity than non-athletes in areas of the brain linked with working memory, motor learning, motor control and visuospatial and visuomotor attention.

"We know that brain structure and some aspects of cognitive functioning deteriorate with aging," said Benjamin Tseng, Ph.D., lead author this study. "As the U.S. population ages, maintaining cognitive vitality and preventing dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, in older adults should be a priority for public health. Previously, we found that brain tissue volume appears to be better preserved in Masters athletes in brain regions associated with motor control. The current study was designed to shed light on the role of aerobic exercise in preserving the integrity of white matter in the brain." White matter is important for its role in transmitting information to the neuron-laden gray matter.

Train for your muscles and brain.