Memory and Aerobic Fitness

Reuters Health reports on a study published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, November 5, 2013 that evaluated the aerobic fitness and cognitive ability of 1,400 men and women aged 19-94 years old. They then remeasured their cognitive ability 7 years later. 80 year-olds who were twice as fit as their peers made 25 percent fewer errors on memory and concentration tests 7 years later. However, it should be noted that  fewer than half the participants showed up 7 years later for testing. The press release also does not mention how many people in this group were over 80, nor how other age groups performed. So while I would take this study with a grain of salt, other studies have shown cognitive benefits to exercise.