An active lifestyle in your 20s can lead to better memory and cognition later in life, a sudy say. This Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study followed 2,700 men and women for 25 years. It found that teenagers who did better on treadmill tests did better on problem solving tests in middle age.
It’s common knowledge that regular exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle and can prevent obesity and heart disease, and previous studies have shown exercise can create a sharper mind. However, this study is the first to look at how exercising at a younger age affects cognition in later years.
"Things that would be good for the heart are probably going to be good for the brain," David Jacobs, a professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health involved in the study, said according to NPR.
After assessing each participant’s memory, the findings revealed that on average, the least fit participants were able to remember seven out of 15 words in a memory test and the fittest were able to remember eight.