In a new study, researchers found for the first time that less muscle and more body fat may affect how flexible our thinking gets as people become older, and changes in parts of the immune system could be responsible.
These findings could lead to new treatments that help maintain mental flexibility in aging adults with obesity, sedentary lifestyles, or muscle loss that naturally happens with aging.
The research was conducted by Iowa State scientists.
The team looked at data from more than 4,000 middle-aged to older UK Biobank participants, both men, and women.
They examined direct measurements of lean muscle mass, abdominal fat, and subcutaneous fat, and how they were related to changes in fluid intelligence over six years.
The researchers discovered people mostly in their 40s and 50s who had higher amounts of fat in their midsection had worse fluid intelligence as they got older.
Greater muscle mass, by contrast, appeared to be a protective factor.
These links stayed the same even after taking into account chronological age, level of education, and socioeconomic status.
The findings show that chronological age doesn’t seem to be a factor in fluid intelligence decreasing over time. It appears to be a biological age, which here is the amount of fat and muscle.
Generally, people begin to gain fat and lose lean muscle once they hit middle age, a trend that continues as they get older.
To overcome this, implementing exercise routines to maintain lean muscle becomes more important.
The team says exercising, especially resistance training, is essential for middle-aged women, who naturally tend to have less muscle mass than men.
One author of the study is Auriel Willette, assistant professor of food science and human nutrition.
The study is published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
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