Staying active may help your brain look younger as you age, AdventHealth study finds

ORLANDO, Fla. — As we grow older, many of us think about how to stay sharp, independent and connected to the life we love. New research from the AdventHealth Research institute suggests that how we move throughout the day may play an important role in keeping the brain healthier as we age.

Findings from the Investigating Gains in Neurocognition in an Intervention Trial of Exercise (IGNITE) Study show that older adults who engage in more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, such as brisk walking, cycling or jogging, tend to have brains that appear younger than their chronological age.

Looking at the whole day, not just one habit

The study included data from nearly 600 adults between the ages of 65 and 80 across multiple sites. Instead of focusing on physical activity alone, researchers looked at how people spent their entire day, including time spent sleeping, sitting and being physically active.

Participants wore wrist-based activity trackers that measured movement over a 24-hour period. Researchers then compared these patterns with brain imaging results that estimate “brain age,” a measure comparing the age in which a person’s brain appears based on its structure to their actual age.

Why movement stood out

When researchers looked closely at the data, one factor consistently stood out: time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Older adults who spent less time moving at this higher intensity tended to have brains that looked older, even if that time was replaced with sleep, light activity or sedentary behavior.

“Looking at the whole day helps us better understand how different behaviors work together,” said Audrey M. Collins, PhD, lead author and researcher at the AdventHealth Research Institute. “What stood out most was the unique role that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity may play in supporting brain health later in life.”

Senior author Kirk I. Erickson, PhD, added that this may be encouraging news for older adults. “Our findings suggest that adding more time in activities like brisk walking or cycling may benefit the brain, regardless of which other activities that time replaces,” he said. “Small, consistent steps, like choosing a faster-paced walk or finding an activity you enjoy, can be meaningful ways to care for your brain and your overall health.”

What this means for you

This study does not prove that exercise directly slows brain aging, but it adds strong evidence that staying active, especially at moderate to higher intensities, is closely linked to healthier brain structure in later years.

Researchers note that future studies will explore whether intentionally shifting more daily time toward moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can help slow changes in the brain over time. For now, these findings reinforce a simple and hopeful message: staying active may be one way to help your brain feel younger and support your journey toward wholeness.

Additional context

For older adults interested in supporting brain health through physical activity, clinicians note that discussing movement and lifestyle habits with a primary care provider can be helpful. AdventHealth’s primary care and healthy aging teams work with individuals to consider safe, appropriate ways to stay active based on personal health history and goals.

Researchers emphasize that even modest, consistent increases in physical activity may be meaningful over time and encourage older adults to consider approaches to movement that are sustainable and supportive of overall well-being.

More information about research studies being conducted by the AdventHealth Research Institute – including those enrolling new participants – can be found at AdventHealthResearchInstitute.com.

The full study, “Association between 24-hour time-use composition and brain age: The IGNITE study,” was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions and is based on baseline data from the NIH-funded IGNITE Study.