Early Life Physical Activity and Cognition at Old Age

Physical activity has shown to be inversely associated with cognitive decline in older people. Whether this association is already present in early life has not been investigated previously. The association between early life physical activity and cognition was studied in 1,241 subjects aged 62-85 y...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology 2003-08, Vol.25 (5), p.643-653
Main Authors: Dik, Miranda G., Deeg, Dorly J.H., Visser, Marjolein, Jonker, Cees
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - physiology
Case-Control Studies
Chi-Square Distribution
Cognition - physiology
Cognition Disorders - epidemiology
Cognition Disorders - prevention & control
Exercise - physiology
Female
Health Behavior
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Movement
Netherlands - epidemiology
Prospective Studies
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Summary:Physical activity has shown to be inversely associated with cognitive decline in older people. Whether this association is already present in early life has not been investigated previously. The association between early life physical activity and cognition was studied in 1,241 subjects aged 62-85 years, in a prospective population-based study. Physical activity between ages 15 and 25 years was asked retrospectively. The findings suggest a positive association between regular physical activity early in life and level of information processing speed at older age in men, not in women. The association could not be explained by current physical activity or other lifestyle factors. This finding supports the cognitive reserve hypothesis, and might suggest that early life physical activity may delay late-life cognitive deficits.
ISSN:1380-3395
1744-411X
DOI:10.1076/jcen.25.5.643.14583