- Adults who followed a year long aerobic exercise programme had brains that looked about a year younger on MRI compared with a control group.
- The routine aimed for around 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous activity and improved fitness, but no single biological factor fully explained the brain change.
- The findings reinforce existing exercise guidance and add another potential benefit, though longer and larger studies are needed to confirm effects on dementia and stroke risk.
Researchers tested whether aerobic exercise could shift an MRI based measure sometimes called brain age, which estimates how old the brain appears relative to a person’s actual age.
A higher brain age measure has been linked in previous research to poorer physical and cognitive health.
In this randomised clinical trial, 130 healthy adults aged 26 to 58 were assigned either to a structured aerobic exercise plan or to usual care.
The exercise group completed two supervised 60 minute sessions each week and additional home based activity, aiming for about 150 minutes per week overall.
After 12 months, the exercise group showed a reduction in the brain age measure, while the control group showed a small increase.
The difference between groups was close to a year in favour of the exercise programme.
The team also explored potential explanations, including improvements in fitness, body composition, blood pressure and levels of a brain related protein called BDNF.
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Fitness improved, but none of these factors alone accounted for the change in the brain age measure, suggesting multiple small mechanisms may be involved.
For people living with diabetes, this sits alongside well established benefits of aerobic activity for glucose control, weight management, mood and cardiovascular risk.
The study does not prove exercise prevents dementia, but it adds to the case for making regular activity a non negotiable part of long term health planning.
