Six months of regular aerobic exercise led to improved executive functioning in adults at risk for cognitive decline, researchers for the ENLIGHTEN trial reported.
In a randomized clinical trial of exercise and diet in sedentary adults with cognitive impairment but no dementia (CIND) and cardiovascular risk factors, regular aerobic exercise three times a week for 6 months was tied to significant improvements in executive function, but not in memory or language/verbal fluency domains, according to James Blumenthal, PhD, of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and colleagues.
And while the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet boosted the executive functioning benefits of exercise, it did not show any cognitive function benefit by itself, they wrote in Neurology.
"An interesting finding is that the DASH diet alone did not provide any benefit for cognitive function, even though the DASH diet did improve cardiovascular health," observed Teresa Liu-Ambrose, PhD, PT, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, who was not involved with the study. "However, it should be noted that aerobic exercise not only improves cardiovascular health, but also induces the release of growth factors that are beneficial for neuronal health."
Learn more: Exercise Boosts Executive Skills of Those at Risk for Dementia