Research links brain age and childhood fitness to long-term health

Recent scientific studies have identified key physical and biological indicators linked to long-term cognitive and mental health.

A study from UCLA, published in eBioMedicine, examined approximately 1,500 adults aged 18 to 65. Researchers found that individuals whose brain age appeared higher than their chronological age tended to exhibit lower cognitive performance, specifically in working memory and executive functions. This higher brain age was also associated with increased depressive symptoms and distinct characteristics in the gut microbiome.

Separately, a long-term study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders tracked over 1,000 participants for more than 30 years. Researchers assessed the physical fitness of children and adolescents aged 7 to 15 in 1985 and re-evaluated them in mid-adulthood. The findings revealed that higher cardiorespiratory fitness during childhood and adolescence is linked to a lower risk of developing depression in adulthood, a correlation that appeared particularly strong in women.