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Physical Fitness For Seniors
Title: "Physical Fitness Keeps Older Minds Sharp!"
Susan Rutter
©2003 Healthy YOUbbies
Staying physically fit is not only good for your body, it also
seems to help keep your mind in good shape, new study findings show.
Researchers found that adults who were most fit at the start of a
six- year study maintained their mental sharpness over time and did
better in tests of their mental function conducted years later than did
their less physically fit peers.
"Physical activity appears to be good for the brain as well as
the body," study author Dr. Deborah E. Barnes of the VA Medical
Center in San Francisco, California, mentions.
"Older adults with higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness
experience a slower rate of cognitive decline over time," she
added.
Cardiorespiratory fitness describes the heart's and lungs'
efficiency in processing oxygen, Barnes explained. "People who are not very fit have difficulty processing oxygen when they exercise -- that is why they get 'winded' or have difficulty breathing," she said.
Previous studies have shown that adults with low levels of
physical fitness are likely to experience more mental decline over time
than their more active peers, but those studies relied on the
participants own self-reports of activity, the researchers note.
Other studies that have detected an association between
cardiorespiratory fitness and better mental function have been
poorly designed or did not include many older individuals.
In the current study, the researchers again used
cardiorespiratory fitness -- determined by the adults' performance during a standard treadmill-based exercise test -- because it is largely determined by habitual physical activity, and may therefore give more accurate information than adults' self-reports of physical activity, they
note.
The participants' mental function was evaluated with a test that
measured their ability to register and recall words, follow
instructions and their orientation to time and place.
At the start of the study, which included 349 adults aged 55 and
older, none of the participants had any symptoms of
cardiovascular disease, physical disability, or mental impairment.
Adults who were the most fit at the start of the study exhibited
the least amount of mental decline, Barnes and her colleagues report
in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. For example,
their scores on the mental state examination at follow-up were similar
to their scores at the start of the study.
Their least physically fit peers, in contrast, scored lower on
the mental state exam by follow-up, and performed lower on other
tests of their mental function, such as remembering fewer words during the word recall test than their peers.
Several explanations exist for why fitness may be associated with
better mental function in older adults, the researchers note.
Cardiorespiratory fitness may reduce a person's risk of
cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and other
conditions known to be associated with poor mental function in
older adults, they speculate. Or, cardiorespiratory fitness may be
directly associated with blood flow in the brain, reductions in which have been linked to lower mental function in both Alzheimer's disease
patients and normal older adults.
In a related editorial, Dr. Eleanor M. Simonsick of the National
Institute on Aging and Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, writes that the study "represents a shift in the right direction for studies examining physical activity, fitness
and cognitive function."
She cautions, however, that the long-term association between
fitness and mental function does not necessarily mean that differences in physical fitness are the cause of the differences in mental
function. More study is needed, Simonsick concludes.
In the meantime, Barnes advised that "older adults who are
already active should keep exercising," and those who are inactive
"should consider beginning an exercise program, ideally in consultation with a physician."
Susan Rutter: Author, publisher, nutritionist, instructor
Assists patients and the public make healthy choices and changes
in their lives.
FREE E-mail course: "Your Health and Your Weight"
http://www.geocities.com/healthyoubbies/
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