Footballers are doing it right all along: new research links strong leg power with a fitter brain that can better resist the effects of aging.

A research team out of King’s College London, writing in the journal Gerontology, found that muscle fitness measured through leg power is associated with an improved rate of brain aging and can positively affect healthy cognition in the long term.

Studying 324 healthy female twins within 10 years from 1999 and measuring thinking, learning, and memory at the beginning and end of the research, the team found that leg power was a better than other lifestyle factor as a predictor of cognitive changes.

The twin with better leg power at the start of the study was able to sustain cognition better and, after a decade, exhibited fewer changes linked to aging.

“Identical twins are a useful comparison, as they share many factors, such as genetics and early life, which we can't change in adulthood,” explained lead author Dr. Claire Steves, Twin Research senior lecturer at King’s College London.

Their findings, according to Dr. Steves, suggested that simple lifestyle interventions to boost physical activity may help keep one both physically and mentally sound.

The legs comprise the largest muscles and can be exercised every day through simple standing, walking, or other habitual activities.

According to previous studies, physical activity can benefit brain aging, with animal studies discovering that muscle exercises can release hormones encouraging nerve cell growth.

Dr. Doug Brown, Alzheimer’s Society research director, said that while the study adds to mounting evidence of the benefits of physical activity to the brain, there is yet to be a full understanding of how the relationships and how the gains can be maximized.

“By identifying which aspects of fitness and physical activity are important for the brain's health we hope to be able to offer more specific advice on how you can reduce the risk of dementia,” Brown said.

The researchers pointed out that the relationships between the various fitness measures indeed need to be further analyzed, such as the cause and effect of exercise on brain structure and cognition, as well as how aerobic capacity leads to brain changes.

The mechanisms here could involve age-related changes in blood circulation, immune function, and nerve signaling, they added.

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