Intelligence affected by fitness

During early adulthood, the central nervous system displays considerable plasticity. This means the nervous system can still adapt and change easily making it more susceptible to input. The study referred to here is interesting because it shows that physical fitness is important for numerous reasons and it is very important to be fit early in life (Abery MA, et al. 2009). The researchers in this study measured cardiovascular fitness using an ergometer cycle and found that fitness was positively associated with intelligence after adjusting for other relevant factors. The results documented that changes in cardiovascular fitness between age 15 and 18 years predicted cognitive performance at the age of 18. It was also found that muscles strength was not associated with cognitive performance. The researchers stated that cardiovascular fitness at age 18 years predicted educational achievements later in life.

Cardiovascular fitness is associated with cognition in young adulthood. Aberg MA, Pedersen NL, Torén K, Svartengren M, Bäckstrand B, Johnsson T, Cooper-Kuhn CM, Aberg ND, Nilsson M, Kuhn HG. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Nov 30.

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