Specific cognitive domains associated with physical activity were episodic memory and verbal fluency<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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FRIDAY, Feb. 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Physical activity is associated with better late-life cognition, but the association is weak, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online Feb. 1 in JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Paula Iso-Markku, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Helsinki, and colleagues examined how length of follow-up, baseline age, amount of physical activity, and study quality modify the longitudinal associations of physical activity with cognition in a review of observational studies. Overall, 104 studies with 341,471 participants were included in the analyses.<\/p>\n The researchers found that after correction for funnel plot asymmetry, physical activity was associated with reduced incidence of cognitive impairment or decline (pooled risk ratio, 0.97), but in follow-ups longer than 10 years, there was no significant association observed. Physical activity was associated with follow-up global cognition and change in global cognition (standardized regression coefficients, 0.03 and 0.01, respectively) from trim-and-fill analyses; no clear dose-response or moderation was seen based on follow-up length, baseline age, study quality or adjustment for baseline cognition. Episodic memory and verbal fluency were the specific cognitive domains associated with physical activity (standardized regression coefficients, 0.03 and 0.05, respectively).<\/p>\n “This systematic review and meta-analysis found that the association between physical activity and cognitive decline was very small, with no evident dose-response association,” the authors write. “With that said, even weak associations can be clinically significant from a population health perspective when physical activity continues over decades.”<\/p>\n