Can 150 minutes of exercise a week keep your brain young for up to a year? Read what a new study says.

News Topical, Digital Desk : We often spend hours sweating in the gym to maintain our glowing complexion and physical fitness. We all want to look younger than our age, but have you ever wondered how old your brain is? Can it also be kept young?

New and exciting research has answered this question. Scientists have found that just as exercise strengthens your muscles, aerobic exercise can biologically rejuvenate your brain. This news offers hope for anyone who wants to keep their memory sharp even in old age.

One year of hard work, one year less life

A study published in the Journal of Sport & Health Science and conducted by the Advent Health Research Institute found that adults who exercise regularly have younger and healthier brains than those who don't exercise.

Simply put, researchers found that people who exercised regularly for a year showed their brains to be about a year younger than their actual age. This has a direct impact on your memory , thinking ability, and mental health.

How did this unique research happen?

The study specifically involved 130 healthy adults aged 26 to 58. This "middle age" period was chosen because it's the time when we can take the right steps to prevent future diseases.

The researchers divided the participants into two groups:

Exercise group: Those who did moderate to intense aerobic exercise.

Control group: Those who followed a normal lifestyle and did not do any special exercise.

How is brain age determined?

Scientists used MRI scans to examine the participants' brains. This measured "brain-PAD," which measures how old or young your brain appears compared to your actual age.

According to Dr. Lu Wan, lead author of the study, "Exercise can biologically rejuvenate the brain in just 12 months."

What was the exercise routine?

It didn't take a lot of exercise to keep the brain young. Those in the exercise group did about 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week. This included:

• 60-minute sessions twice a week in the laboratory.
• Additional exercises done at home.

The surprising results 

When tested again after a year, the results were clear:

• The benefit for those who exercised: their brains' biological age decreased by about 0.6 years, meaning their brains became younger.
• Disadvantages of those who did not exercise: The brains of people in the second group appeared to be about 0.35 years older.

Why is this habit important for the future?

This research suggests that incorporating exercise into our daily routine early on can help prevent serious problems that arise in old age. Slowing down the brain's biological aging can reduce or delay future risks of cognitive decline and dementia.

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