Fitter, faster, stronger, smarter?
4 December 2009
Cardiovascular fitness is associated with increased intelligence in teenage males, according to new research.
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Dr Paula Franklin, Bupa's director of healthcare development |
We already know that exercise has a positive effect on mental and physical health and this study suggests that it also has a positive effect on intelligence. 
The study looked at the link between physical activity and intelligence in more than 1.2 million men from the Swedish military. The men, born between 1950 and 1976, took part in a series of physical and intelligence tests when they enrolled aged 18. The intelligence tests included verbal and logic tests, and tests that focused on spatial awareness, maths and physics. The men's cardiovascular fitness was measured using a cycle test. They also looked at the men's final school exam results, taken when they were 15 years old. All the men were followed up until they were 54 years old.
The researchers found that the men who improved their cardiovascular fitness between the ages of 15 and 18 had the highest intelligence scores when they joined the military. However, the study did not show a link between muscle strength and an increase in intelligence.
If you are physically fit, your heart and lungs work better and your circulation improves, including circulation to your brain. The researchers suggest that this may explain the link between physical fitness and intelligence. It could also go some way to explain why there is no link between muscle strength and intelligence.
Dr Paula Franklin, director of healthcare development at Bupa, commented: "We already know that exercise has a positive effect on mental and physical health and this study suggests that it also has a positive effect on intelligence. Current guidelines suggest that adults should be doing at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, five times a week, and children should be active for at least an hour every day. It's important to do activities that really raise your heart rate and improve cardiovascular fitness, for example cycling, running or swimming.
"For anyone, this study should give yet more encouragement to get active, but especially for people with children. Not only does exercise improve children's physical health and intelligence, it can also improve self-esteem, reduce stress levels and help them to sleep better."
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Related information
- Childhood obesity health factsheet
- Insomnia health factsheet
- Physical activity health factsheet
- Stress health factsheet
Read the study
Read the study - Aberg M, Pedersen N, Toren K et al. Cardiovascular fitness is associated with cognition in young adulthood. PNAS 2009, 106:20906-11. doi:10.1073/pnas.0905307106
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