April 24, 2008 - Memory lapse, unable to pay attention, these are common problems that elderly people face, the good news is, these problems can be minimized by doing regular aerobic exercise.

11 random trails were conducted at the University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. 670 adults for the age group 55 and above participated in the study that examined the outcome of regular aerobic exercise on areas of cognition. For 3 months, 2 to 7 days a week all the participants exercised aerobically. The results were then compared with persons, who do not exercise, persons who perform yoga and those who performed other exercises.

Maaike Angevaren, lead author said “Aerobic exercises that improve cardiovascular fitness also help boost cognitive processing speed, motor function and visual and auditory attention in healthy older people.”

Exercise not only keeps the body fit but also makes the vital organs perform at the optimal level. Cardiovascular fitness helps reduce risk of heart diseases. Cognitive processes decrease with age and according to the study a healthy ageing can be achieved with regular exercise.

The result of the study is published in The Cochrane Library.