The grey matter workout

AEROBIC exercise can boost your IQ. And that's just the start - it can also prevent impotence and improve your eyesight

Stephen O'Connor

MOST of us exercise because it makes us look and feel better and helps us to deal with stress. But research is now showing that the benefits of exercise are much more widespread.

Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, for example, have reported how regular workouts can improve cognition and intelligence, especially in children and older adults.

Professor Arthur Kramer, who led the study, conducted a series of trials looking at the effects of aerobic exercise - including walking, running and swimming - on the brain. He discovered that the activity had a positive effect on those parts that are involved in memory and problem-solving.

In older people who exercised regularly there were indications, Kramer found, that their brains processed cognitive tasks more efficiently. "Increased physical activity has direct and relatively rapid effects on cognition and brain health," he says.

Conversely, he warned, those who did little aerobic exercise were more at risk of brain - as well as muscle - degeneration.

But keeping grey matter in check is not the only unexpected side-effect of regular exercise. There are many surprising reasons to pull on the trainers:

TEENAGE IQ

IF you need another reason to persuade your teenagers to get off the sofa, it is that they will boost their IQ in the process.

A Swedish study involving 1.2 million teenage boys found the fitter they were the better they performed in intelligence tests. Those who improved their fitness levels between the ages of 15 and 18 significantly increased their cognitive performance in tests.

By "fit", the researchers at Sahlgrenska University Hospital meant aerobic capability and not muscular strength through pumping iron. "Being fit in that sense means that you also have good heart and lung capacity and that your brain gets plenty of oxygen," says Professor Michael Nilsson. "We see a clear link with fitness, but not with muscular strength."

Useful exercise: 6 x 20m shuttle runs (repeated twice). Skipping is another option. Best done three times a week.

MENTAL AGILITY IN MIDDLE AGE

EVEN if you leave it until middle age to head to the gym for the first time, the benefits could be startling. Experts at the University of Montreal recently revealed that a group of overweight men with an average age of 49 who exercised regularly for a few months discovered that their mental agility soared.

The men underwent a regime of twice-weekly high-intensity interval training sessions, weightlifting, indoor cycling and circuit training.

The result, suggested the experts, is that as the men got fitter the health of their arteries was boosted, enabling their brains to make better use of oxygen supplies. Four months later they performed better in tests of attention span, information processing, short-term memory and flexibility of thought.

"You can give someone a cholesterol-lowering pill or some blood sugar-lowering medicine, but these will have no impact on cognitive function," says Dr Anil Nigam, who led the study.

Useful exercise: A 30-minute circuit including 10 minutes of indoor rowing, 10 minutes of weight training and 10 minutes of body-weight exercises, such as squats, lunges and press-ups. Best done three times a week.

BRAIN SHRINKAGE CAUSED BY AGEING

OUR brains are prone to shrinkage as we get older, but keep exercising into your twilight years and you can offset the decline.

In a study at the University of Edinburgh, funded by the charity Age UK and published in the latest edition of Neurology, brain scans of 638 people past retirement age showed that the most physically active had the least brain shrinkage over a three-year period.

The scientists had looked at the brain's white matter - the wiring that transmits signals - and found that the exercisers (many of whom merely walked each day) had fewer damaged areas. They also had more grey matter in their brains - that is, the part where signals and messages are formed.

Conversely, reading a book or doing a crossword had no effect on maintaining brain size.

Quite why the effects of exercise are so profound is not yet known. It could be owing to better bloodflow and use of oxygen by the brain.

"This study shows it's never too late to benefit from exercise," says professor James Goodwin, head of research at Age UK. "Be it a brisk walk to the shops or a fun-run, it's crucial, for those who can, to stay active as we get older."

Useful exercise: A daily walk of 30-60 minutes with 30-second bursts of effort. Try walking fast between lampposts.

HELPS KEEP THE BLOOD HEALTHY

BRUSHING and flossing aren't the only routes to healthy gums.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in the United States found that regular aerobic exercise in combination with a healthy diet led to people being 40 per cent less likely to develop periodontitis, a gum infection that can result in tooth loss and which is linked to a raised risk of heart disease and diabetes.

How? Exercise is known to reduce a substance called C-reactive protein in the blood, which is associated with raised rates of inflammation linked to gum disease and other problems. In the trial, even those who just exercised and didn't change their diet were at a 16 per cent lower risk of the problem.

Useful exercise: A 50-minute aerobics, salsa or zumba class. Or put on some music at home and dance to it for 50 minutes. Best done three times a week.

MALE IMPOTENCE

THERE is plenty of evidence that regular workouts can prevent impotence as men get older.

At Harvard University, researchers found that men who exercised vigorously for 30-60 minutes two to three times a week were about half as likely to have erection problems as inactive men.

In another study, at the University of California, 78 healthy male couch potatoes were asked to rate changes in their sex lives after they were assigned between three and four 60-minute exercise sessions a week. Reports came back that the men had more reliable sexual functioning, greater satisfaction between the sheets and more sex more often.

Useful exercise: Outdoor boot camp circuit lasting an hour, or an interval session in the swimming pool, including a 10-minute warm up, 4x100m with varying strokes and a 10-minute cool down. Gradually build up the number of repetitions and intensity. Best done three times a week.

EYESIGHT

RESEARCHERS at the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory tracked 41,000 runners for seven years. They found that running reduced both the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, a condition that causes damage to the retina, resulting in irreversible vision loss in older adults.

In one study, men who ran more than 9km a day had a 35 per cent lower risk of developing cataracts than men who ran less than 2.25km a day.

In a second study, men and women who ran 3km a day were at 42-54 per cent less risk of macular degeneration than those who ran less than 2.3km daily or not at all.

Other studies have shown that for every metre-per-second increment in running performance there is a 36.7 per cent reduction in the risk of glaucoma, an eye disease in which the optic nerve is damaged and which can lead to permanent vision loss.

Last year, Paul Foster of UCL's Institute of Ophthalmology confirmed in his own trials that aerobic workouts help to lower ocular perfusion pressure, an important risk factor for glaucoma.

"It appears that OPP is largely determined by cardiovascular fitness," Dr Foster says.

Useful exercise: A run/walk combo for 20 minutes combining jogging for two minutes and brisk walking for one minute. Or, if you haven't run in a while, try the Galloway Method, which involves jogging for 1600m and walking for a minute. Aim to cover 5km, gradually eradicating the walk. Best done three times per week.

FEMALE SEXUAL SATISFACTION

IN a study at the University of Texas, women were asked to watch a short travel film, followed by a short R-rated movie.

Before the first trial they cycled vigorously for 20 minutes. Before the second viewing they did nothing. Calculating their sexual response using a device that measures bloodflow to the genital tissues, the researchers discovered that the women's vaginal responses were 169 per cent greater after exercising.

Sex therapist Lisa Turner, known as "the O Coach", says the stronger your core muscles, the more likely it is that you will experience orgasms.

Useful exercise: A spinning class or a short session on an indoor bike, including a five-minute warm-up and six minutes of one-minute fast bursts, one-minute recovery, followed by five minutes cool down. Best done three times a week.

The Times

Sharper mind and better temper

RARE is the morning you won't find Stephen O'Connor out on a brisk walk along the beach at Manly in Sydney's north - and staying in good physical shape is only one of the reasons for his fitness regime.

O'Connor, 61, is convinced regular exercise gives him a sharper mind and a cheerful temperament and without it he feels lethargic and bad tempered with a poor memory.

"It gives you a lift, just to be outside in the fresh air and observing life," he said.

"I never took much interest in iPods or other portable music devices because I'd rather be aware of what's around me; listening to birds and waves crashing and saying hello to people as I walk past.

"It stimulates your mind and stimulates the release of endorphins, which just makes you feel good."

O'Connor believes his exercise regime also pays off in a variety of other ways, helping to maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

"I noticed as I started to get older I'd become more forgetful, like putting the keys down somewhere and forgetting where I put them, or going into a room and thinking, 'What did I come in here for', but I find it's much worse if I have a poor diet and don't get at least one walk in a day," he said.

"I've also taken to swimming several times a week because it's a lower impact activity."

For older people who may not engage in much exercise, leaving the car at home for small amounts of grocery shopping, O'Connor said, was a great excuse for a walk. He said he wasn't surprised by a recent report from the US which found that aerobic exercise can boost IQ and improve eyesight.

O'Connor said he still had very good eyesight and needed glasses only for reading.

Mitchell Nadin