Everyone knows the benefits of exercise for how your body functions, but what about your brain?
A group of University of Otago researchers have spent the past year studying how brain function is improved by exercise and were excited by what they found.
A body of research already exists showing aerobic exercise improves brain function in older adults, but there is a limited amount of literature on how it affects young adults.
The Otago group, psychology masters student Hayley Guiney, department of psychology senior lecturer Dr Liana Machado, School of Physical Education senior lecturer Dr Jim Cotter, and Heart Foundation research fellow Dr Sam Lucas set out to change that.
They took 55 students, aged from 18 to 30, and put them through a series of cognitive tests on a computer, measured the blood flow to their brains, had them complete an exercise questionnaire on their weekly physical activity, and complete a fitness test.
Before conducting the research, funded by the department of psychology, Miss Guiney predicted "some" of the neurological benefits of exercise highlighted in older adults would also be evident in younger ones.
The extent of the benefits were, though, surprising.
The findings revealed links between frequency of physical activity and greater cerebrovascular reactivity, allowing for better control over blood flow in the brain which kept it in an optimal physiological state.
In addition, this improved control over blood flow was linked to superior control over reflexive reactions.
The ability to strategically control reactions enables people to concentrate better on given tasks, such as driving.
"It's assumed that young people are at peak physical condition, but our results indicate that there was room for improvement.
"The findings ... provide an initial challenge to the predominant view that living a sedentary lifestyle leads to problems only later in life," she said.
Furthermore, vigorous exercise was not necessarily important, rather, frequency was key.
Dr Machado said the research "provides supportive evidence that regularly engaging in at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, can lead to cognitive benefits".
That 30 minutes could be made up of a few 10 minute brisk walks, rather than one single block of exercise.
"More frequent was better, so I think the message is to get out there and exercise often," she said.
The group hoped to secure further funding to extend the study to a larger group of participants, and analyse data gathered from a similar-sized group of older adults.
Dr Machado said it was a "little surprising" the study did not reveal any effects on other cognitive aspects, such as task switching and working memory span, but a larger-scale study in which participants were able to be split into sex groups could enable this.
Key findings
• Exercising for at least 30 minutes a day can lead to cognitive benefits.
• Those 30 minutes do not have to be done all at once; small periods can be added together.
• Frequent exercise improves cerebrovascular reactivity, allowing for better control over blood flow in the brain.
• Even young adults can improve brain function by exercising regularly.
