Exercise May Make Overweight Kids Smart In Math--study

According to the findings published in the journal 'Health Psychology,' when sedentary, overweight children start to exercise, they improve their their thinking, planning, and math skills.

"We know that exercise is good for you, but we didn't have very good evidence [before this] that it would help children do better in school," stated lead researcher Catherine Davis, a clinical health psychologist at the Georgia Prevention Institute at Georgia Health Sciences University in Augusta.

The researchers found that more the kids exercised, better were the results. On an average, the intelligent scores increased to 3.8 points for kids who exercised for 40 minutes every day after school for three months regularly.

171 kids studied
To determine the link between exercise and improved mathematics ability, the researchers from the the Georgia Prevention Institute at Georgia Health Sciences University studied 171 children, ages 7 to 11.

The kids were divided in three groups. One group indulged in exercise for 20 minutes after school. Another group got 40 minutes of exercise, and the third group did not exercise at all.

The kids participated in running games, hula hoops and jump ropes, as the focus of the exercise program was fun and safety, and not competition.

To measure the cognitive development, the researchers used the standard achievement tests called the Cognitive Assessment System and Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III.

Some kids even got the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their brains.

Exercise increases activity in executive function of brain
Analyzing the tests, researchers found that there was an increased activity in the prefrontal cortex or the executive function of the brain of the kids who exercised.

Prefrontal cortex is associated with complex thinking, self-control, reasoning decision making, planning, and abstract thought.

The researchers found that more the kids exercised, better were the results. On an average, the intelligent scores increased to 3.8 points for kids who exercised for 40 minutes every day after school for three months regularly.

There was also improvement in the math skills but no difference was noted in the reading skills.

Establishing the link
Though the study focused on overweight kids, the researchers believe that the results will be similar even in normal weight kids.

They theorize that these positive changes are result of biological as well as environmental factors.

According to them, exercise leads to neural growth and more brain cells.

Also, there is more stimulation when things are moving faster and when you're moving. So it is cognitively stimulating to move.

"I hope these findings will help re-establish physical activity's important place in the schools in helping kids stay physically well and mentally sharp. For children to reach their potential, they need to be active," added Davis.