Brainy men age better

Brainy men are more likely to remain physically independent as they age

CLEVER men are more likely to be in good physical shape than others when they hit middle-age, a study reveals.

 

A higher intelligence score in early adulthood is clearly linked to a stronger back, legs and hands during midlife.

The study, published in the Journal of Aging and Health, shows brainy men are also more likely to remain physically independent as they age.

With a 10-point increase in intelligence score, weight-lifting and athletic tests showed a 1.1lb rise in lower back strength and a 1cm increase in jumping height.

Clever men also had a 1.5lb increase in hand-grip strength, 3.7% improved balance, and could do 1.1 more chair-rises in 30 seconds.

Rikke Hodal Meincke — one of the researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark — said: “The better the results of midlife tests, the greater the chance of avoiding a decrease in physical performance in old age.”