There is a correlation between physical fitness and mental acuity as we age. To stay keen, stay lean.
In a recent study spanning a duration of over 6 years, data on over 4,000 Brits in their 40s and 50s were studied. Those with more mid-section fat had worse fluid thinking as they got older. By contrast, greater muscle mass protected cognitive fluidity.
American nutritionist Auriel Willette: reports: “Chronological age doesn’t seem to be a factor in fluid intelligence decreasing over time. It appears to be biological age, which here is the amount of fat and muscle.”
To stay mentally fit, physical exercise, especially resistance training, is essential for middle-aged women, who naturally tend to have less muscle mass than men. Besides eating nutritiously and not too much, regular brisk walking and upper-body exercise can help you stay mentally sharp.
References:
Ishi Nobu, The Ecology of Humans, BookBaby (2019).
Brandon S. Klinedinst et al, “Aging-related changes in fluid intelligence, muscle and adipose mass, and sex-specific immunologic mediation: A longitudinal UK Biobank study,” Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 82: 396–405 (November 2019).
“Changes in the immune system explain why belly fat is bad for thinking,” ScienceDaily (17 December 2019).