New exercise benefit revealed: Study shows it helps older adults process language better

Language processing can decline with age, but exercise can help older adults improve their ability to understand words and respond better.

Exercising has countless benefits, whether it’s the simple daily step count reducing depression risk or cardio improving cardiovascular health. Similarly, working out proves effective for enhancing various cognitive abilities. There is a correlation between exercise and improved language skills.

Understanding words and replying back may become slow as one ages, but exercise helps boost the comprehension skills. (Shutterstock)

A study from the University of Agder in Norway and the University of Birmingham in the UK, published in Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition, uncovered a link between increased fitness levels and better language processing abilities. As one age, regions of the brain responsible for memory begin to deteriorate, but staying physically active is one way to preserve language comprehension.

Link between exercise and language

The study observed that in older adults, their language comprehension skills increased with exercise. The researchers examined these older adults by putting them in a six-month home-based exercise program. They had to do circuit training or cardio, which included a variety of exercises like uphill walking, jogging, and running, completed two or three times every week. All these exercises gradually increased their fitness levels and helped them better understand language, recognizing words and their meanings and replying more quickly. However, this exercise-language association is only applicable to monolinguals (people who speak only one language).

As the study participants completed the six-month program, they showed a 7% improvement in their ability to identify the correct words. This improvement suggests that increasing fitness has a positive effect on the brain’s language-processing capabilities. It is especially beneficial for ageing adults, as cognitive functions like language processing tend to decline with age.

Doesn't work for bilinguals

The language comprehension benefit from exercise is only for those who know one language (monolingual.)(Shutterstock)

As their fitness levels increased, the older adults who were monolinguals could quickly understand words and respond more adeptly. The change was gradual, with participants showing a 7% improvement, according to the study's findings. However, this effect was only seen in monolinguals, not in bilinguals (people who speak two or more languages). This is because bilingual people's brains are already engaged in the complex task of juggling between two languages, so exercise does not enhance the benefits in the same way.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.