Cardiovascular exercise boosts the IQ scores of 18-year-old males.In a massive study of over 1.2 million Swedish military conscripts, researchers found that cardiovascular fitness -- not muscle strength -- is linked to higher scores on tests of logical, verbal, technical and visio-spatial capabilities. While some may argue that this is because smarter people exercise more, the data collected from the 1,432 pairs of identical twins in the sample suggests that it is not the root cause.
Georg Kuhn, a neuroscientist who worked on the study, explains that because cardiovascular exercise increases blood flow to the brain, supplying it with more oxygen and nutrients, it improves the health of the overall brain structure, He also suggests these findings should encourage schools to put more physical education into their curriculum.
Yup, just what developing minds need: high school gym teachers with even more power.
