A new study shows a direct connection between the health of the heart and lungs and the health of the brain and cognitive performance, which begins to form at an early age. Researchers discovered that children aged 4 to 6 years who could walk longer distances during a timed test scored higher on cognitive ability tests and other measures of mental brain functions.
It is noteworthy that most previous studies on the link between brain health and heart and lung health—"cardiopulmonary health"—have focused on older children and adults. However, the new results indicate that this connection is very clear even at an early stage of life. The study included 59 preschool children who walked as far as they could in six minutes and then underwent tests assessing their cognitive abilities and concentration levels. Mental flexibility was also examined in 33 other young participants in the study.
Breakfast supports heart health. Shelby Ki, a co-researcher and graduate student in kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, stated, "Preschool children with better cardiopulmonary health showed higher scores on tasks of cognitive abilities and general academic performance, along with improved use of expressive language.” She added, "They performed better on cognitive tasks requiring attention and multitasking skills, showing potential for increased processing speeds and allocating greater brain resources in completing these computerized tasks."
According to the study authors, "The results demonstrate that heart and lung health enhance thinking abilities in young children, but they also add to the growing evidence that the two are closely and directly linked, even as early as the age of 4.”
Moreover, researchers noted that, similar to older children and adults, preschoolers do not achieve the recommended daily levels of physical activity. Niman Khan, a professor in kinesiology and community health, expressed concern, stating, "This is troubling because the development of the brain for basic cognitive control processes begins in early childhood and continues into early adulthood."
