Adults who exercised regularly for a year had brains that appeared nearly a year younger on MRI scans.
Protecting brain health is a lifelong effort, and new findings from the AdventHealth Research Institute suggest that regular exercise could play a meaningful role. Researchers report that maintaining a consistent aerobic workout routine may help the brain remain biologically younger. This could translate into sharper thinking, stronger memory, and better overall well-being.
In the study, adults who completed a structured year-long aerobic exercise program had brains that appeared almost one year “younger” than those of participants who did not increase their physical activity.
How Scientists Measured Brain Age
The findings, published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, focused on whether aerobic exercise could slow or possibly reverse “brain age.” Brain age is estimated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which compares how old a brain appears to a person’s actual age. A higher brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD), indicates that the brain looks older than expected. Previous research has connected higher brain-PAD scores with weaker physical and cognitive performance and a greater risk of mortality.
“We found that a simple, guideline-based exercise program can make the brain look measurably younger over just 12 months,” said Dr. Lu Wan, lead author and data scientist at the AdventHealth Research Institute. “Many people worry about how to protect their brain health as they age. Studies like this offer hopeful guidance grounded in everyday habits. These absolute changes were modest, but even a one-year shift in brain age could matter over the course of decades.”
