Stay sharp after menopause: How aerobic exercise can improve key thinking skills
Regular aerobic exercise—the kind that gets your heart pumping—can improve important thinking skills called executive functions, and the benefits appear especially strong for women after menopause, according to Rutgers researchers.
Aerobic exercise, which raises the heart rate, can boost important cognitive skills known as executive functions, with postmenopausal women experiencing the most benefit, according to Rutgers researchers. Executive functions involve planning, switching between tasks, maintaining focus, and staying independent. Women often experience difficulty with these skills during and after menopause, a period during which Alzheimer's disease diagnoses are most common.
Experts from the Rutgers Brain Health Institute studied 93 healthy women aged 20 to 67, with 43% being postmenopausal. All participants started the study with below-average cardiorespiratory fitness and were not engaged in regular exercise. The women were randomly assigned to either an aerobic exercise program or a stretching-and-toning program for six months.
The researchers measured cognitive performance to track changes in executive function throughout the trial. Postmenopausal women who completed the aerobic exercise program showed greater improvements in executive function compared to those in the stretching group and premenopausal women in the aerobic program. These improvements were measured through standardized assessments of task-switching speed and error management, and they appeared by three months and increased by six months.
The benefits of aerobic exercise were specific to executive functions, with no significant improvements in memory or processing speed. Most women were able to stick with the program, with about 8 in 10 completing at least three months and about 7 in 10 completing the full six months. For optimal results, experts recommend engaging in three to four one-hour aerobic exercise sessions per week for at least three to six months.
Suitable activities include brisk walking, light jogging, cycling, elliptical training, swimming, or water aerobics. Consistency is key, and gradual intensity progression is recommended. Further research will continue to explore how lifestyle interventions can preserve cognitive health throughout life.
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