Exercising before school could reduce attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children, according to recent study.

Researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Vermont found that offering daily before-school aerobic activities to younger at-risk children could help in reducing the symptoms of ADHD in the classroom and at home.

Signs of ADHD can include inattentiveness, moodiness and difficulty getting along with others.

"Early studies suggest that physical activity can have a positive effect on children who suffer from ADHD," said Alan Smith, researcher and chairperson of Michigan State University's Department of Kinesiology.

For the study, the research team studied about 200 early elementary school students ranging from kindergarten to second grade that either exhibited signs of ADHD or didn't.

During the trial, students were randomly selected to participate in a group that completed moderate to vigorous physical activity each day before school, or a group that completed more sedentary classroom-type activities.

"Although our findings indicated that all participants showed improvements, children with ADHD risk receiving exercise benefited across a broader range of outcomes than those receiving the sedentary activities," Smith said.

Smith said further studies are needed to better understand the frequency and amount of physical activity that can provide benefits to children and added that the effects of exercise may be different based on a child's age.

"Despite the number of remaining questions, physical activity appears to be a promising intervention method for ADHD with well-known benefits to health overall," he said. "This gives schools one more good reason to incorporate physical activity into the school day."

The findings were recently published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.