Evidence is mounting that fit kids perform better than their
unfit peers on a variety of learning tasks.
In a study conducted recently at the University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign, researchers evaluated children as they performed reading and
language comprehension exercises while wearing electrode caps. Fitness levels
varied among the children, and these devices allowed the scientists to evaluate
brain activity.
“Children who are physically fit have faster and more robust
neuro-electrical brain responses during reading than their less-fit peers,” the
researchers concluded.
Study author Charles Hillman, PhD, professor in the
department of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign, said in a university news release, “Our study shows that the
brain function of higher fit kids is different, in the sense that they appear
to be able to better allocate resources in the brain towards aspects of
cognition that support reading comprehension.” He added, “Now, whether that
difference is caused by fitness or maybe some third variable that affects both
fitness and language processing, we don’t know yet.”
More research is recommended to determine the underlying
mechanisms for the links between fitness and healthy brain function.
The study appeared in Brain and Cognition (2014; 87,
140-52).
Repost from IDEA FIT
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