Keeping fit can reduce the risk of dementia by up to THIRD, new research shows
- Small gains in heart and lung health can be extremely beneficial to your health
- The researchers surveyed 649,605 people with an average age of 61
- The most suitable are 33% less likely to develop the disease than the least fit
Keeping in shape in middle age can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to a third, a study shows.
Even small gains in heart and lung health can be extremely beneficial.
An analysis of 649,605 people with an average age of 61 found that the most fit were 33% less likely to develop the disease than the least fit.
The study’s author, Dr Eduard Zamrini of the Washington Medical Center in Virginia, said it was “exciting” and “very promising” to see a reduction in the number of cases with elevated fitness levels, as there are currently no adequate treatments ”for Alzheimer’s disease.
Keeping in shape in middle age can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to a third, a study shows. Even small gains in heart and lung health can be extremely beneficial
He said: “An exciting finding from this study is that as people improve their physical fitness, the risk of Alzheimer’s disease decreases – it was not an all-or-nothing proposal.
“So people can work to make gradual changes and improvements in their physical fitness, and hopefully this will be associated with a associated reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease years later.”
He added: “The idea that you can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by simply increasing your activity is very promising, especially since there are no adequate treatments to prevent or stop the progression of the disease.
An analysis of 649,605 people with an average age of 61 found that the most fit were 33% less likely to develop the disease than the least fit.
“We hope to develop a simple scale that can be customized so that people can see the benefits that even gradual improvements in fitness can bring.”
The researchers examined participants’ “cardiorespiratory fitness,” a measure of how well the body transports oxygen to the muscles and how well they are able to absorb oxygen during exercise.
A limitation of the study is that the participants are predominantly white men, so the results may not be generalized to other populations.
The findings will be presented at the 74th anniversary meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, the world’s largest association of neurologists and neuroscientists in Seattle.
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