6 months of exercise may reverse mild cognitive impairment

The researchers divided the participants into four groups:

• One group did only aerobic exercise.
• One group adhered to the DASH diet (without any exercise).
• One group both exercised and adopted the DASH diet.
• One group received health-related educational phone calls.

Those who exercised worked out three times per week in 45-minute sessions, including warmup exercises followed by walking, jogging, or cycling.

A 9-year improvement in executive function

The new study revealed a 5-point average increase on executive function skills among people who exercised and dieted, compared with those who either only exercised or only dieted.

Executive function is the cognitive ability that enables a person to plan and organize goal-driven actions, as well as focus and self-regulate their behavior. The researchers found no significant improvement in memory.

“The results are encouraging in that in just 6 months, by adding regular exercise to their lives, people who have cognitive impairments without dementia may improve their ability to plan and complete certain cognitive tasks.”

James A. Blumenthal, Ph.D.

The lead researcher explains that the participants’ executive function scores were, at the beginning of the study, equivalent to those of 93-year-olds, even though their chronological age was 28 years younger.

However, following 6 months of added exercise, the average score corresponded with those of people who were 84 years old, which equates to a 9-year improvement in executive function.