Aerobic Exercise Linked to Improved Executive Function After Menopause, Study Finds

A six-month randomized trial has found that postmenopausal women who performed regular aerobic exercise showed significantly greater improvement in executive function compared to those who did stretching and toning, according to researchers. Executive function refers to a person’s ability to focus, pay attention, and manage time, according to reports [1].

The study, published in a peer-reviewed journal, analyzed data from 93 cognitively healthy women aged 20 to 67, with 43% classified as postmenopausal, according to the report. Findings from the trial indicate a menopause-specific benefit from aerobic exercise on executive function, but not on memory, attention, or processing speed, researchers said.

Study Overview

The research was designed to determine whether menopausal status affects how women respond to aerobic exercise, according to the study. Researchers randomly assigned participants to either an aerobic exercise group or a stretching and toning group, with both groups exercising four days per week for approximately one hour over a six-month period, the report stated.

The investigation was motivated by common cognitive complaints during menopause, including changes in attention and focus that many women find frustrating, according to the article. Exercise has been established as one of the most effective tools for supporting brain health with age, and this new research indicates that one type of exercise may offer an increased cognitive benefit after menopause, the report stated [2].

Study Design and Methods

Participants in the aerobic group used equipment such as treadmills, ellipticals, or stationary bikes, with exercise intensity gradually increasing during the first month before reaching target levels, according to the study. The stretching and toning group served as the comparison arm, engaging in non-aerobic activity for the same duration and frequency.

Cognitive testing was administered at the beginning of the study, then again after three months and six months of exercise, the report stated. The testing protocol covered several cognitive domains, including memory, attention, processing speed, language, and executive function. The executive-function score was a composite of two tasks: one testing participants’ ability to switch between different rules, and another measuring how often they broke rules while learning a maze, according to the study.

Key Results

Rather than simply comparing scores at the end of the study, researchers examined how participants’ scores changed over time, according to the report. They found statistically significant differences at both three months and six months, with postmenopausal women in the aerobic exercise group showing greater improvement than postmenopausal women in the stretching and toning group. Within the aerobic group, postmenopausal women saw more improvement than premenopausal women, researchers said.

This cognitive benefit, however, was not observed across every measure. Researchers found no menopause-specific difference in processing speed, memory, attention, or language scores, according to the study. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that physical activity supports brain health, with prior research showing that older adults who exercised for at least 52 hours over about six months had healthier brains [3].

Potential Explanations

The researchers offered several potential explanations for why menopause may change how exercise affects brain function, according to the report. One possibility is that the postmenopausal women started with lower executive-function scores, leaving more room for improvement, researchers said. At the beginning of the study, their average executive-function performance was lower than that of the premenopausal women.

The researchers also cited the “exercise timing hypothesis,” which suggests that the timing of physical activity in relation to changes in estrogen could influence how the body and brain respond to exercise later in life, according to the study. Aerobic exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system and can improve blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain, which may explain its stronger effect on executive function compared to stretching and toning. This aligns with prior work showing that physical fitness can offset cognitive decline in postmenopausal women [4]. Researchers also examined estradiol levels but found no significant relationship with the results, the report stated.

Recommendations and Conclusion

The study required participants to exercise for four hours per week, but public health guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly, according to the report. The findings suggest that consistency in aerobic activity is key, with cognitive differences appearing at three months and persisting at six months, researchers said.

Experts recommend choosing an enjoyable activity such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming, and building up intensity gradually over several weeks, according to the report. While the study’s findings are based on a small sample, the researchers called for further investigation to confirm the relationship between aerobic exercise and executive function after menopause. Regular aerobic activity remains a practical approach to supporting both cardiovascular and cognitive health with age, the report concluded [5].

References

1. NaturalNews.com. “Physical fitness equals brain fitness for older men according to study”. NaturalNews.com. June 29, 2019.
2. Mercola.com. “Exercisean Important Component of Cancer Tre”. Mercola.com. April 10, 2015.
3. NaturalNews.com. “Older adults who exercise for 6 months have healthier brains”. NaturalNews.com. August 03, 2018.
4. NaturalNews.com. “Fitness counteracts cognitive decline from ho”. NaturalNews.com. August 31, 2006.
5. Mercola.com. “Eating Right and Exercise Can Turn Back the C”. Mercola.com. January 18, 2019.