New Study On Fitness And Brain Health

KYW Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The more frequently and more effectively you exercise the better the blood flow to the brain as you get older. This according to information from the Framingham study.

According to the study, a lack of exercise can actually increase the rate of brain aging. Lower cv fitness and elevated exercise bp and hr responses in early to midlife are associated with smaller brain volumes nearly two decades later, thereby linking fitness over the life course to brain health later in life.

Promotion of midlife cv fitness is an important step towards ensuring healthy brain aging in the population, especially in pre-hypertensive or hypertensive individuals. Once again, another report focusing on exercise and its benefits -- it helps in the short run and the long run.