Fitness Linked to Smartness

    Any school kid can tell you: nerds are not usually the most athletic specimens. But a new study suggests that young men who are physically fit tend to be more intelligent. The results appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

    Animal studies have long shown a link between physical activity and better memory. And in humans, aerobic exercise has been found to boost cognitive function in the elderly. But studies in young adults have yielded conflicting results. Strenuous physical activity in adolescents actually seemed to make mind matters worse.

    To try to settle the issue, scientists in Sweden reviewed the records of more than a million men who enlisted for military service at the age of 18. And they found that cardiovascular fitness, but not muscle strength, was associated with overall intelligence （at least as measured by the Swedish army）. And when they consulted additional national databases, they found that physical fitness at the age of 18 also foreshadowed greater academic achievement later in life. Even among the twin pairs, the fitter brother tended to be the smarter.

    So remember, a nerd may not be athletic. But a lot of athletes may be harboring an inner nerd.

    聰明與否與健康有關

    任何一個學校的孩子可以告訴你：書呆子通常都不善于運動。但是一項新的研究表明，年輕人身體越健康越聰明。這項研究發表在《美國國家科學院院刊》（Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences）雜志上。

    長期以來的動物研究表明，良好的記憶力和身體運動有關。而對于人類來說，研究發現有氧鍛煉能增強老年人的認知能力。不過對年輕人的研究結果并不一致。青少年大運動量的活動實際上對智力發展不利。

    為了解決這個問題，瑞典科學家研究了1百多萬人的記錄，這些人在18歲的時候被征兆入伍。科學家們發現，心血管的健康（而不是強壯的肌肉）與整體智力水平有關系（至少對瑞典軍隊里的人如此）.科學家們還查閱了其它的國家數據庫，他們發現18歲時良好的健康狀況還預示著以后學術上更好的成就。即使對雙胞胎而言，研究發現，身體越健康，智力越高。

    所以，請記住，書呆子雖然不一定很健壯，但是許多運動員也許非常聰明。

    Vocabulary:

    Cardiovascular: 心血管的

    Fitness:健康

    Academic:學術的

    Nerd:書呆子

    Athletic:運動員的；強健的

    Specimen:樣品；某種類型的人

    Intelligent:聰明的

    Aerobic:需氧的

    Boost:增高；提升

    Cognitive:認知的

    Yield:產生

    Conflict:矛盾

    Strenuous:費力的

    Adolescent:青春期的

    Enlist:征兆入伍

    Foreshadow:預示

    Harbor:心懷；懷有

    Inner:內在的