Exercise Increases Brain Size of Older Adults

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that the brain size of older adults can be increased through an aerobic exercise program. The findings that an exercise intervention can increase brain volume agree with the researchers' 2003 study that showed a correlaton between physical fitness and brain tissue loss in older adults. The study was published in the the November issue of the Journal of Gerontology by Arthur F. Kramer and colleagues.

Thus, it pays for older to maintain an aerobic fitness program in order not to experience brain tissue loss -- and to actually show gains in brain size. Swimming, biking and walking offer means to anti-aging in the brain.