Crypto News: Here's good news for couch potatoes

Hi, it's Suzi in London. Going for a run may not give your brain the boost we all think it does. But first....

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I finally got back to running recently after having a baby. Not only did I want to shift the pregnancy weight but I also thought it might help my sleep-deprived brain to function better. It turns out the well-established link between exercise and cognition might not be as strong as most people believe.

Research looking at more than 100 studies on the links between physical exercise and improved cognition in healthy people found limited evidence to support a relationship. The initial, small positive effects shown from exercise on brain function in the various research disappeared on closer examination of the parameters used to measure them and correcting for publication bias, Luis Ciria, the lead author from the University of Granada, wrote.

The belief that exercise aids cognition in a healthy population underpins public health policies globally and is one of the key reasons exercise is recommended. While the findings don't rule out that there is some benefit, more evidence is needed to support these claims, the authors said.

"The physiological and health benefits of regular physical exercise are seemingly indisputable, according to the scientific evidence accrued over the past century," the researchers said in the paper. "These findings suggest caution in claims and recommendations linking regular physical exercise to cognitive benefits in the healthy human population until more reliable causal evidence accumulates."

Still, with the many other positive impacts of physical exercise - particularly for physical health - well established, this is enough to justify public health messages promoting exercise, the researchers said, and there's no suggestion that exercise is harmful for cognition in any way.

The findings are thought-provoking and surprising as current literature so strongly reveals a link between exercise and cognition with some studies even suggesting working out reduces the risk of dementia, according to Eef Hogervorst, professor of psychology at the UK's Loughborough University, who wasn't involved in the research.

However, she said these findings should also be interpreted cautiously due to the methodological limitations of the study. "More clearly reporting the intensity, type, and duration of the included workouts would have further clarified the reasons behind these unexpected results," she said.

While more research is needed, it's not going to stop me running any time soon. Even if I have to resort to caffeine to wake up my tired brain. — Suzi Ring

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