Background: Physical exercise is an effective measure for preventing the onset of cognitive decline and has a direct influence on the aging process. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a 6-month physical exercise program on cognition and telomere length in adults over 65 years of age. Method: Seventy-four healthy women were separated into two groups: 41 were included in the intervention group (IG) (72.70 ± 4.127 years and 8.18 ± 1.551 years of education) and 33 in the control group (CG) (71.21 ± 4.127 years and 8.42 ± 2.562). The participants included within the IG carried out three sessions of physical exercise per week for six months. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Stroop test and the Trail Making Test (TMT). Saliva samples were taken and analyzed and relative telomere length was calculated. Those conducting the analysis were blind to the group to which the participants had been assigned. Results: An improvement was observed in global cognitive function, in both attentional and executive functions, in the group of adults doing physical exercise as compared to the control group. Six months after the physical exercise program had finished, relative telomere length was found to have increased in the participants in the intervention group. Conclusion: Physical exercise programs can lead to an improvement in both cognitive functions and telomere length.

Updating executive function and performance in reading comprehension and problem solving. [La función ejecutiva de actualización y el rendimiento en comprensión lectora y resolución de problemas]

Background: Physical exercise is one of the main nonpharmacological treatments for most pathologies. In addition, physical exercise is beneficial in the prevention of various diseases. The impact of physical exercise has been widely studied; however, existing meta-analyses have included diverse and heterogeneous samples. Therefore, to our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of different physical exercise modalities on telomere length in healthy populations. Objective: In this review, we aimed to determine the effect of physical exercise on telomere length in a healthy population through a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Methods: A systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression of the published literature on the impact of physical exercise on telomere length in a healthy population was performed. PubMed, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched for eligible studies. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Risk Of Bias In Nonrandomized Studies of Interventions and the risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. Finally, the certainty of our findings (closeness of the estimated effect to the true effect) was evaluated using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE). Results: We included 9 trials that met the inclusion criteria with fair methodological quality. Random-effects model analysis was used to quantify the difference in telomere length between the exercise and sham groups. Meta-analysis showed that exercise did not significantly increase telomere length compared with the control intervention (mean difference=0.0058, 95% CI −0.05 to 0.06; P=.83). Subgroup analysis suggested that high-intensity interventional exercise significantly increased telomere length compared with the control intervention in healthy individuals (mean difference=0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.26; P=.01). Furthermore, 56% of the studies had a high risk of bias. Certainty was graded from low to very low for most of the outcomes. Conclusions: The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that high-intensity interval training seems to have a positive effect on telomere length compared with other types of exercise such as resistance training or aerobic exercise in a healthy population. Trial Registration: PROSPERO CRD42022364518; http://tinyurl.com/4fwb85ff

Cognitive reserve is an active mechanism based on the application of resources learned thanks to a good education, profession, or premorbid intelligence. The aim of this research is to study whether the inclusion of sociodemographic variables linked to lifestyle can discriminate individuals more effectively regarding their level of cognitive reserve. Results show the importance of educational, intellectual, and professional type variables, which can contribute to a deeper knowledge of this construct. In our view, a broad number of variables should be used to assess cognitive reserve effectively.

Background: Telomere length (TL) is a marker of cellular health and aging. Physical exercise has been associated with longer telomeres and, therefore, healthier aging. However, results supporting such effects vary across studies. Our aim was to synthesize existing evidence on the effect of different modalities and durations of physical exercise on TL. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the needs and expectations of individuals with physical disabilities and their interventionists for the use of a virtual reality physical activity platform in a community organization. Methods: We performed an umbrella review and meta-analysis. Data sources included PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. We selected systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized and nonrandomized controlled clinical trials evaluating the effect of physical exercise on TL. Results: Our literature search retrieved 12 eligible systematic reviews, 5 of which included meta-analyses. We identified 22 distinct primary studies to estimate the overall effect size of physical exercise on TL. The overall effect size was 0.28 (95% CI 0.118-0.439), with a heterogeneity test value Q of 43.08 (P=.003) and I² coefficient of 51%. The number of weeks of intervention explained part of this heterogeneity (Q_B=8.25; P=.004), with higher effect sizes found in studies with an intervention of less than 30 weeks. Exercise modality explained additional heterogeneity within this subgroup (Q_B=10.28, P=.02). The effect sizes were small for aerobic exercise and endurance training, and moderate for high-intensity interval training. Conclusions: Our umbrella review and meta-analysis detected a small-moderate positive effect of physical exercise on TL, which seems to be influenced by the duration and type of physical exercise. High quality studies looking into the impact of standardized, evidence-based physical exercise programs on TL are still warranted.