A few extra minutes of daily exercise could make a big difference for older adults, according to a new Belgian study.
Researchers from KU Leuven and Ghent University found that people aged 55 and over who engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as brisk walking or cycling, showed better short-term memory, focus and planning skills than those who were less active.
The team analysed data from 233 healthy Flemish participants to examine how time spent exercising, sitting, or sleeping related to cognitive performance over a full 24-hour period.
Because time is limited, more exercise meant less time spent on other activities, allowing researchers to observe what kinds of trade-offs benefited the brain.
They found that adding just five minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day, at the expense of sitting or sleeping, was linked to higher memory and concentration scores. When that time increased to 30 minutes, the benefits became even clearer.
By contrast, lighter activity, such as slow walking or household chores, had far weaker associations with brain function.
"More research is needed to confirm whether exercise directly causes these improvements, but the message is already clear," said Pieter-Jan Marent of the KU Leuven and Ghent University Physical Activity, Sport and Health Unit.
The findings were published in Nature Scientific Reports.
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