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Posted on Oct 04, 2002, 6 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
Regular exercise could boost chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients' learning power, according to researchers from Ohio State University. COPD sufferers can have problems digesting information as the disease reduces the amount of oxygen available to the brain, however study co-author Professor Charles Emery says that the problem can be overcome with exercise, "Exercise seems to help these individuals think more efficiently," he said.
Regular exercise could boost chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients' learning power, according to researchers from Ohio State University. COPD sufferers can have problems digesting information as the disease reduces the amount of oxygen available to the brain, however study co-author Professor Charles Emery says that the problem can be overcome with exercise, "Exercise seems to help these individuals think more efficiently," he said. For the study, adults aged 56 to 85 - half of which were COPD sufferers - were asked to ride an exercise bike for 20-minutes. Results showed that the COPD group demonstrated significant improvements in verbal processing - the ability to understand and retain verbal information - after exercise. Those without COPD showed no improvement in their cognitive performance. However, Professor Emery warned that the occasional bout of exercise is of no real benefit to patients, saying: "Physical endurance decreases when a person stops exercising, and cognitive function likely follows a similar 'use it or lose it' pattern."
SOURCE/REFERENCE: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2001; 164: 1624-1627
