Benefits of sport in children and adolescents

Physical exercise introduced from an early age could reduce the risk of developing long-term mental disorders.

Mental Health Area. Sant Joan de Déu Hospital Barcelona

Since time immemorial, humankind has had to make movement its primary ally in the struggle for survival. Our ability to run, jump, swim, climb, and use our hands as tools has allowed us to explore and exploit our environment to our advantage. Indeed, we are made for movement, and we depend on it to a great extent for the formation, development, and anatomical and functional consolidation of our being.

Physical activity is a natural and fundamental part of a child's and adolescent's life. It offers moments of happiness, fun, and learning, while also introducing them to a psychosocial environment that stimulates and strengthens them as individuals. It is essential in preventing adult illnesses and strengthens them physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Thanks to advances in neuroscience, we now know that the intellect is not only nourished by knowledge and that regular and sustained physical activity (especially cardiovascular or aerobic exercise) can produce functional and structural changes in the nervous system by releasing a large number of substances (such as serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline, among others) that modulate and consolidate certain cognitive processes (such as attention and memory).

Socio-emotional development in adolescence

We also know that there is another important group of substances that increases with physical exercise (such as brain - derived neurotrophic factor, also known as BDNF, insulin-like growth factor 1 and vascular endothelial growth factor) and that in animal models these factors can modulate both the increase in the number of neurons, as well as the increase in blood capillaries and the connections between the neurons themselves (synapses).

Therefore, we have discovered that regular exercise helps optimize the learning process by secreting a series of chemical and neurohormonal substances that facilitate cognitive processes, especially those related to attention and memory. It improves brain circulation and oxygenation, a fundamental source of the nutrients necessary for its proper functioning. It also has a significant positive influence on the rest of the body's systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, immune, and endocrine).

And if that weren't enough, we have learned that the habit of physical exercise introduced from an early age could reduce the risk of suffering from long-term mental disorders (depression, anxiety).

However, despite the undeniable benefits that physical activity provides to cognitive and mental health aspects, the relationship between physical activity and cognition is extremely complex, and not all types of exercise appear to significantly improve all cognitive functions. In this regard, cardiovascular or aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, running, dancing, skiing, cycling, etc.) seems to be possibly the most effective in improving cognitive function in children. It is known that school-aged children who dedicate at least one hour each day to intensive physical activity show better cognitive functioning. And although more studies are needed, there is sufficient evidence in the current scientific literature to recommend the regular practice of these types of sports in children and adolescents.

Emotional education of children and young people

Because sport (regardless of the aforementioned biological benefits), when understood and approached with a sound pedagogical design, can generate very positive social and personal values and contribute to a person's holistic development. It is, in essence, education, since it transmits associated values that are essential to personal growth and the development of social skills, such as tolerance, solidarity, effort, sacrifice, and respect for others and rules. It is therefore a source of knowledge, an opportunity to strengthen character, and to acquire certain values that can be applied to many other areas of family, professional, and civic life.

Regular physical exercise prevents the onset of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood, while also promoting the cognitive development of our children and adolescents, and strengthening them physically, mentally and emotionally.

This is an original article from the Escola de Salut of the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital Barcelona , from the 12th FAROS Report "A look at the mental health of adolescents - Keys to understanding and supporting them" .