Lifestyle Effects on Memory & Cognition

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  • A small study found moderate-intensity exercise was more beneficial for immediate memory performance than other levels of exercise or forms of rest.
  • A small study found low-intensity exercise triggers different brain networks than high-intensity exercise.
  • A large study found that better cardiorespiratory fitness was strongly associated with more gray matter.
  • Similarly, a review of clinical trials found that aerobic exercise protected against brain shrinkage (reducing gray matter).

Moderate intensity exercise can benefit memory performance

  • Large brain scan study found physical fitness was associated with better brain structure and better cognitive performance in younger adults.
  • A small study found greater aerobic fitness was linked to a larger entorhinal cortex (a brain region affected early in Alzheimer's disease).
  • A small study found endurance runners’ brains have greater functional connectivity than the brains of more sedentary age-matched individuals.

Data from a publicly available database of 1206 MRI brain scans from the Human Connectome Project has revealed that physical fitness is associated with better brain structure and brain functioning in young adults.

  • A study found older adults (60+) who engaged in high-intensity interval training for 12 weeks showed significant memory improvement, while those engaging in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise did not.
  • A study involving young adults found greater fitness gains from HIIT were associated with greater increases in BDNF.

A study in which 64 sedentary older adults (aged 60-88) participated in a 12-week exercise program found that those who engaged in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) saw an improvement of up to 30% in memory performance while participants who engaged in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise s

  • A small study involving older endurance athletes found that stopping their exercise for just 10 days was enough to significantly decrease blood flow to several important brain regions.

A small study involving 12 very fit older adults (aged 50-80; average age 61) found that, after stopping their exercise routines for 10 days, there was a significant decrease in blood flow to several brain regions, including the

  • A small study involving physically inactive older adults found that a three-month exercise program reversed some brain atrophy.

A study involving 30 previously physically inactive older adults (aged 61-88) found that a three-month exercise program reversed some brain atrophy.

  • A long-running study involving women only found that regular exercise in middle age was the most effective they could do to prevent later cognitive decline.

A long-running study following 387 Australian women found that regular exercise in middle age was the best lifestyle change they could make to prevent cognitive decline in their later years.

  • A mouse study found that running mitigates the negative impacts chronic stress has on the hippocampus.

Memories are made through a synaptic-strengthening process called

  • A very large study found higher levels of physical activity, eating more fruits and vegetables, and not being obese, were all linked to better cognition in younger & older adults.

A Canadian study involving 45,522 adults (30+) found that higher levels of physical activity, eating more fruits and vegetables, and having a BMI in the normal weight or overweight range were each associated with better cognitive function in both younger and older adults.

  • Rat study finds running is the best type of exercise for growing new brain cells.

A rat study comparing different forms of exercise has found that running was much more effective than HIIT or resistence training in generating new brain cells.

A study of 105 female college students found that those with the highest levels of stored iron had the highest grades. Fitness was also a factor, but while the effect of fitness was greater overall than the impact of iron status, both factors together had an even greater effect.

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