Being active reduces Alzheimer's risk

May, 2012
  • A large study provides evidence that higher levels of everyday activity help prevent Alzheimer’s, although more intense activity is even better.

A four-year study involving 716 elderly (average age 82) has revealed that those who were most physically active were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those least active. The study is unique in that, in addition to self-reports of physical and social activity, activity was objectively measured (for up to 10 days) through a device worn on the wrist. This device (an actigraph) enabled everyday activity, such as cooking, washing the dishes, playing cards and even moving a wheelchair with a person's arms, to be included in the analysis.

Cognitive performance was assessed annually. Over the study period, 71 participants (10%) developed Alzheimer’s.

The study found that those in the bottom 10% of daily physical activity were more than twice as likely (2.3 times) to develop Alzheimer's disease as those in the top 10%. Those in the bottom 10% of intensity of physical activity were almost three times (2.8 times) as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as people in the top 10%.

Moreover, the level of activity was associated with the rate of cognitive decline.

The association remained after motor function, depression, chronic health conditions, and APOE gene status were taken into account.

The findings should encourage anyone who feels that physical exercise is beyond them to nevertheless engage in milder forms of daily activity.

 

Addendum:

Another recent study, involving 331 cognitively healthy elderly, has also found that higher levels of physical activity were associated with better cognitive performance (specifically, a shorter time to complete the Trail-making test, and higher levels of verbal fluency) and less brain atrophy. Activity levels were based on the number of self-reported light and hard activities for at least 30 minutes per week. Participants were assessed in terms of MMSE score, verbal fluency, and visuospatial ability.

Reference: 

Related News

Data from 6257 older adults (aged 55-90) evaluated from 2005-2012 has revealed that concerns about memory should be taken seriously, with subjective complaints associated with a doubled risk of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia, and subjective complaints supported by a loved on

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the cerebrospinal fluid has found that both symptomatic Alzheimer’s patients and asymptomatic patients at risk of A

Comparison of the EEGs of 27 healthy older adults, 27 individuals with mild Alzheimer's and 22 individuals with moderate cases of Alzheimer’s, has found statistically significant differences across the three groups, using an algorithm that dissects brain waves of varying frequencies.

Data from two longitudinal studies of older adults (a nationally representative sample of older adults, and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative) has found that a brief cognitive test can distinguish memory decline associated with healthy aging from more serious memory disorders, year

Analysis of 40 spinal marrow samples, 20 of which belonged to Alzheimer’s patients, has identified six

Data from 848 adults of all ages has found that brain volume in the default mode network declined in both healthy and pathological aging, but the greatest decline occurred in Alzheimer’s patients and in those who progressed from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease.

New research supports the classification system for preclinical Alzheimer’s proposed two years ago. The classification system divides preclinical Alzheimer's into three stages:

Initial findings from an analysis of cerebrospinal fluid taken between 1995 and 2005 from 265 middle-aged healthy volunteers, of whom 75% had a close family m

Cognitive testing for dementia has a problem in that low scores on some tests may simply reflect a person's weakness in some cognitive areas, or the presence of a relatively benign form of mild cognitive impairment (one that is not going to progress to dementia).

A French study has predicted with 90% accuracy which patients with mild cognitive impairment would receive a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease within the following two years.

Pages

Subscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest health newsSubscribe to Latest news
Error | About memory

Error

The website encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later.