Taken from the August 28th print edition of the Week Magazine:
An epidemic of childhood obesity in the U.S. has sparked nationwide concern that kids spend too much sedentary time in front of screens and too little time playing outdoors. Now research suggests that children who are aerobically fit aren’t just healthier, they also do better in math, ScienceDaily.com reports. A University of Illinois study found that cardiorespiratory fitness contributes to gray-matter loss, a crucial part of neurological development in children. “The theory is that the brain is pruning away unnecessary connections and strengthening useful connections,” says study leader Laura Chaddock-Heyman. Her team analyzed 48 children ages 9 and 10 who had completed a treadmill test. Half the kids were either at or above the 70th percentile for aerobic fitness, while the other half were out of shape, falling below the 30th percentile. The researchers then imaged the subjects’ brains with MRIs and gave them an achievement test to gauge their math, reading, and spelling skills. The fitter children showed significantly more thinning in the outermost layer of the cerebrum, a process associated with better mathematics performance—and, in fact, they scored higher on their math tests, but showed no such edge in reading or spelling. “These findings arrive at an important time,” says researcher Charles Hillman, noting that many schools have cut back on physical activity during the school day “in response to mandates for increased academic time.”
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