30-year study links childhood obesity and fitness to midlife cognition

Published on June 16, 2022

Imagine if your fitness level as a kid could determine how well your brain functions as an adult. Well, according to a groundbreaking 30-year study, it just might! This study followed over 1200 people who were children in 1985 and discovered that those with better physical performance as kids had improved cognition later in life. It’s like planting seeds in a garden — the healthier the plants start off, the more likely they are to thrive and blossom when they mature. The researchers also found that this relationship between childhood fitness and brain health remained strong even when taking into account factors like academic abilities and socio-economic status. So, it seems clear that staying active and fit during childhood doesn’t just keep you in good shape physically; it can actually boost your brainpower too! Now, the exciting question is: can we use this knowledge to design interventions or programs that promote physical activity in kids to improve their cognitive development? To find out more about this fascinating research and its potential implications, check out the full article!

A new study of the impact of childhood fitness and obesity on cognition in middle age, followed over 1200 people who were children in 1985 for over 30 years, has found that better performance on physical tests is related to better cognition later in life and may protect against dementia in later years. Importantly these findings are not impacted by academic ability and socioeconomic status at childhood, or by smoking and alcohol consumption at midlife.

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