Study: Good cardiovascular fitness could keep brain healthy

As if there weren’t enough reasons to exercise already.

A new study published this week found that older adults with good cardiovascular fitness have healthier brains, too.

The study, done by Boston University School of Medicine Researchers, compared the cardiovascular fitness and brain MRIs of a group of young people with a group of older people. The young group were between 18 and 31; the older group between 55 and 82.

The better the cardiovascular fitness of the older group, the better structure of white matter fiber bundles in their brains. That connection didn’t exist in the younger group.

What are white matter fiber bundles? White matter deals with your brain’s connectivity, according to brain research group The Dana Foundation.

The study’s findings could lead to a time when older people are prescribed exercise to help keep their brain function high into old age, the researchers write.