A six-month study found greater improvements in executive function among post-menopausal women who did aerobic exercise.
Researchers studied 93 women ages 20 to 67 who were not regularly exercising and had below-average fitness levels.
The benefits were specific to executive function, rather than memory or processing speed.
Exercise is already well known for supporting physical health, but new research suggests it may also benefit certain thinking skills — particularly after menopause.
A Rutgers-led study found that post-menopausal women who participated in regular aerobic exercise experienced greater improvements in executive function than women who participated in stretching and toning exercises.
Executive functions are the mental skills that help you plan, stay focused, switch between tasks, and manage everyday activities. These abilities can sometimes feel more challenging during and after the menopause transition.
The researchers wanted to better understand whether a woman's menopausal status might affect how her brain responds to exercise. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
“Post-menopausal women who completed aerobic exercise showed greater improvements in executive function — measured through standardized assessments of task-switching speed and error management — compared to women in the stretching group and more than pre-menopausal women doing the same aerobic program,” researcher Sharon Sanz Simon said in a news release.
“We observed measurable cognitive gains at three months into the program, and those benefits continued to strengthen through the six-month trial period.”
How the study worked
Researchers analyzed data from 93 cognitively healthy women between the ages of 20 and 67. About 43% were post-menopausal. None of the participants were regularly exercising when they entered the study, and all had below-average cardiorespiratory fitness.
The women were randomly assigned to one of two six-month programs. One group participated in aerobic exercise four days a week, while the other completed stretching and toning exercises.
Researchers assessed participants' cognitive performance, cardiorespiratory fitness, and other health measures at the beginning of the study and again after three and six months.
The cognitive testing looked at several areas, including executive function, processing speed, attention, working memory, and episodic memory.
What the results mean
The post-menopausal women in the aerobic exercise group showed greater improvements in executive function than post-menopausal women in the stretching-and-toning group. Their improvements were also greater than those seen among pre-menopausal women completing the same aerobic exercise program.
Researchers detected measurable improvements after three months, with the benefits continuing through six months. About eight in 10 participants completed at least three months of the program, while about seven in 10 completed the full six months.
Importantly, the results didn't show the same benefits for every aspect of thinking. The improvement was specific to executive function; researchers did not find similar gains in processing speed, memory, attention, working memory, or language.
For consumers, the findings suggest that consistent aerobic exercise may be worth considering as part of a brain-health routine after menopause. Researchers point to activities such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming, water aerobics, dancing, and light jogging. They emphasize consistency over choosing one particular activity.