Higher physical fitness levels are associated with less language decline in healthy ageing

[apod]

Higher physical fitness levels are associated with less language decline in healthy ageing (Nature April 2018): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-24972-1

Higher aerobic fitness levels decrease the probability of experiencing tip-of-the-tongue states in healthy older adults. Fitness-related differences in word finding abilities are observed over and above effects of age. This is the first demonstration of a link between aerobic fitness and language functioning in healthy older adults.

[NF52]

Fascinating study, apod, with what looks like valid methodology. I love this beginning explanation of the issue, which should be reassuring to many:

Older adults worry that tip-of-the-tongue states indicate serious memory problems. However, this is a misconception: tip-of-the-tongue states are not associated with episodic memory loss. In fact, older adults usually have a much larger vocabulary than younger adults. Instead, focused experimental research has demonstrated that tip-of-the-tongue states are indicative of deficits in accessing phonology (i.e. sound form representations). Spoken word production is a two-stage process involving the retrieval of word meaning, followed by the associated phonology. Tip-of-the-tongue states indicate a disruption in the process of transmission between meaning and phonology.

If we think of it more as a "fluency" issue, similar to what people with what we term "stuttering" have, rather than a word-finding issue, then the same techniques used in fluency of "slow, easy speech", using substitutions (define or associate the word) may help--along with their suggestions to increase aerobic exercise, even walking.