MRI scans show exercise can make the brain look younger: Study
Summary
A year-long study shows that regular aerobic exercise can reduce brain age, with MRI scans indicating brains look nearly a year younger in adults who maintained a consistent exercise routine compared to those who did not.
Key Points
- Regular aerobic exercise for one year can make the brain appear nearly a year younger as measured by MRI scans.
- The study involved 130 adults aged 26 to 58 in a controlled trial comparing exercise to usual care.
- Brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD) dropped by about 0.6 years in the exercise group, while the control group saw a slight non-significant increase.
- The mechanisms behind the brain age reduction remain unclear, with factors like fitness improvements not fully explaining the change.
