# Relationship of exercise frequency, intensity, and fitness to improved cognition and biomarkers in Gerofit participants

> **NIH VA I01** · VA GREATER LOS ANGELES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Gerofit is a Veteran Health Administration health promotion program which has demonstrated significant gains
in physical function, general well-being and other health outcomes. However, overall cognitive benefits of the
program have not yet been assessed. The goal of this study is to determine the relationship between physical
function improvements from participation in the Gerofit exercise program and cognition in older Veterans.
Specifically, this study will be testing 1) whether participation in the long-standing, widely available VA Gerofit
program improves cognitive measures of memory and executive functioning after three months and one year in
older Veterans compared to controls; and 2) the predictive power of peripheral blood and/or skeletal muscle
biomarkers for the physical and cognitive effects after three months and one year of Gerofit participation in
older Veterans compared to controls. By accomplishing these goals, the results can provide more information
about the role of exercise in cognitive improvements in older adults, specifically within the VA Gerofit exercise
program, and the use of predictive biomarkers to determine which Veterans will obtain the most benefit
cognitively and physically.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10863128
- **Project number:** 1I01RX004521-01A2
- **Recipient organization:** VA GREATER LOS ANGELES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Cathy Lee
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-01 → 2028-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10863128

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10863128, Relationship of exercise frequency, intensity, and fitness to improved cognition and biomarkers in Gerofit participants (1I01RX004521-01A2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10863128. Licensed CC0.

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