It doesn't matter what age you are or how tough your exercise plan is – whatever physical activity you are doing is probably helping your brain, according to the largest and most comprehensive 'umbrella' review to date.
In the massive data crunch, children and adolescents experienced the greatest benefits from exercise in memory, while the highest gains in executive function, which relates to planning and problem-solving, were seen in people with ADHD.
But when considering cognition in general, every age group showed similar results. What's more, those benefits did not differ based on exercise intensity, duration, or session frequency.
Even video games that require physical movement showed positive effects on the brain. In fact, some of the best outcomes on cognition and memory were attributed to 'exergames', such as Pokemon Go, as well as mind-body activities, like Tai Chi.
"This is an encouraging finding, as it suggests that engaging, low-impact activities can offer real cognitive benefits," says lead author and health researcher Ben Singh from the University of South Australia.
"Most forms of exercise appear effective," SIngh and his team explain, "including light-intensity activities, exergaming, and mind-body practices such as yoga and Tai Chi, making exercise an accessible and versatile intervention."
The meta-meta-analysis covers 133 systematic reviews, encompassing 2,724 randomized controlled trials and more than a quarter of a million participants. It brings together an incredible amount of information to explore the relationship between exercise and cognition like never before.
To date, numerous studies have shown that even short bouts of physical exercise may do wonders for memory and learning in the short term, and possibly in the long run as well. In the past, however, reviews have tended to focus on how certain types of activity, like high-intensity or low-intensity exercise, might impact specific individuals, such as older adults, children, or those with cognitive disorders or neurological diseases.
"While each of these reviews has provided valuable insight into the impact that exercise can have on cognitive function and memory," write the authors of the new meta- meta-analysis, "…there is a need to comprehensively evaluate the impact of all exercises on general cognition, memory, and executive function across all populations."
The team could only identify one other umbrella review out there, and it focused only on healthy individuals, finding the effects of exercise on cognition were inconclusive.
The new review considers both healthy and unhealthy participants of all ages who were included in randomized controlled trials. These trials are designed to reveal real effects, not just associations.
When Singh and his colleagues reviewed 107 meta-analyses, they found exercise significantly improved general cognition, and this was true across all age groups and exercise modalities. Only when they split cognition into memory and executive function did they start noticing differences between these subgroups and modalities of exercise.
Some of the best cognitive outcomes, for instance, were associated with exercises that place emphasis on complex movement patterns, like yoga, Tai Chi, and exergames. These are low-intensity exercises, and yet they could be giving our brain a unique workout.
The authors of the umbrella review admit that many trials they included assessed cognition in a way that looks for impairment rather than assessing variation between individual levels of cognitive function.
This suggests that the current results are 'ceiling effects'. In other words, some individuals could benefit more from exercise, but all individuals show improvements up to a certain point.
"This review provides robust evidence for healthcare practitioners to confidently recommend exercise as an effective intervention for enhancing general cognition, memory, and executive function in patients of all ages and health statuses," write the authors of the umbrella review.
"While the evidence base highlights the need for further high-quality studies to confirm and refine these findings, this review provides strong support for the role of exercise in promoting cognitive function and overall health."
The study was published in BMSJ.