Study Finds New Long-Term Benefits of Childhood Exercise

World’s first study of more than 1,200 people demonstrates how fitness and obesity in youth affect cognition in midlife

Better physical test scores are associated with better cognition later in life and may offer protection against dementia in later years, according to the world’s first study on the effects of childhood fitness and obesity on cognition in midlife, which followed more than 1,200 people born in 1985 for more than 30 years.

Importantly, these results are not affected by academic ability, childhood socioeconomic status, or midlife cigarette and alcohol use.

The groundbreaking research, led by Dr. Jamie Tait and Associate Professor Michele Callisaya of Peninsula Health and monash university in Melbourne, as well as researchers from the Childhood Determinants of Adult Health project at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania, was recently published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.

It is well established that children who grow up participating in sports and other physical exercises have better long-term health outcomes. A higher level of fitness in adults is also linked to better cognition and a lower risk of dementia in old age.

This is the first significant study to examine the relationship between obesity and objectively measured fitness in childhood and cognition in midlife, with the theory that early activity levels, fitness, and metabolic health may protect against dementia in our old age. More than 1,200 participants were followed from 1985, when they were between 7 and 15 years old, until 2017-19.

In 1985, 1,244 participants aged 7 to 15 years in the Australian Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study were assessed for physical fitness (cardiorespiratory, muscular power, muscular endurance) and anthropometry (waist-hip ratio). .

These participants were followed between 2017 and 2019 (39 to 50 years old, average age 44) regarding their cognitive function using a series of computerized tests.

According to Associate Professor Callisaya, this is the first study to demonstrate a relationship between phenotypic profiles of objective measures of fitness and obesity in childhood with midlife cognition.

The researchers found that children with the highest levels of cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness and a lower average waist-to-hip ratio had higher scores in midlife on tests of processing speed and attention, as well as global cognitive function. .

Because a decline in cognitive performance can begin as early as midlife, and lower cognition in midlife has been associated with a higher chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and dementia in later life, Associate Professor Callisaya states that it is important to identify the factors in the first years of life. that may protect against cognitive decline in later life.

“The development of strategies that improve poor physical fitness and decrease obesity levels in childhood is important because it could contribute to improving cognitive performance in midlife,” he said.

“Importantly, the study also indicates that protective strategies against future cognitive decline may need to start from early childhood so that the brain can develop sufficient reserve against the development of conditions such as dementia in old age.”

Reference: “Longitudinal Associations of Childhood Obesity and Fitness Profiles with Midlife Cognitive Function: An Australian Cohort Study” by Jamie L. Tait, Taya A. Collyer, Seana L. Gall, Costan G. Magnussen, Alison J. Venn, Terence Dwyer, Brooklyn J. Fraser, Chris Moran, Velandai K. Srikanth, and Michele L. Callisaya, July 19, 2022, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2022.05.009

The study has been funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Heart Foundation.