Clinical Interventions in Aging (Mar 2023)
Effects of Yoga and Aerobic Exercise on Verbal Fluency in Physically Inactive Older Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial (FitForAge)
Abstract
Paul Welford,1 Josefine Östh,1 Sara Hoy,2 Susan L Rossell,3 Michaela Pascoe,4 Vinod Diwan,1 Mats Hallgren1 1Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden; 2Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH), Stockholm, Sweden; 3Centre for Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; 4Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaCorrespondence: Mats Hallgren, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Level 6, 1e Solnavägen, Solna, 11365, Sweden, Tel +46852480000, Email [email protected]: To compare the effects on verbal fluency of a supported yoga-based exercise intervention to an aerobic exercise intervention and a wait-list control group.Participants and Methods: Eighty-two physically-inactive but otherwise healthy adults (mean age 72.5 years, range 65– 85, 77% female) were recruited into a 12-week, three-group, parallel randomized controlled trial. Participants were supported to complete ≥ 3 Hatha yoga classes per/week or ≥ 3 structured aerobic exercise sessions/week. A wait-list control group continued usual daily activities only. Verbal fluency, including total-FAS, animals, and verbs, was assessed before and after interventions. Group effects were assessed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).Results: Twenty-seven participants were randomized to yoga, 29 to aerobic exercise and 26 to a waitlist. At 12-week follow-up, compared to baseline, there were increases in mean total-FAS in the yoga (+5.0 words, p=0.002) and aerobic exercise groups (+6.6 words, p=0.004). Mean total-FAS in the wait-list control group remained stable (− 0.5 words, p=0.838). There were medium-magnitude estimated treatment effects on total-FAS for yoga versus wait-list control and aerobic exercise versus wait-list control: Hedges’ g=0.51 (p=0.213) and 0.57 (p=0.098) respectively. In addition, small-to-medium magnitude estimated treatment effects were seen on animals and verbs for yoga versus wait-list control and aerobic exercise versus wait-list control: g=0.28 (p=0.155), 0.19 (p=0.766) and 0.50 (p=0.085), 0.59 (p=0.233) respectively.Conclusion: Participation in yoga or aerobic exercise was associated with estimated improvements in verbal fluency compared to a non-active control group. Yoga and aerobic exercise may be promising approaches by which to promote cognitive function among older adults.Trial Registration: DRKS00015093, U1111-1217-4248.Keywords: physical activity, verbal fluency test, executive function, cognitive aging, healthy aging
