It may not be the most exciting bit o' science but it's an important reminder:
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This four-year study included 749 women and men over age 65 who had no memory problems at the start of the study. Researchers monitored the participants' weekly physical activity levels such as walking and climbing stairs, and moderate activities such as house and yard work, gardening and light carpentry.
By the end of the study, 54 of the participants had developed Alzheimer's disease and 27 had developed vascular dementia.
The findings are published in the Dec. 19 issue of the journal Neurology.
The top one-third of people who exerted the most energy walking were 27 percent less likely to develop vascular dementia than those in the bottom third, the study found.
People who exerted the most energy in moderate activities were 29 percent less likely to develop vascular dementia, and those who were in the top one-third for total physical activity had a 24 percent reduced risk compared to those in the bottom third.
"Our findings show moderate physical activity, such as walking, and all physical activities combined lowered the risk of vascular dementia in the elderly independent of several sociodemographic, genetic and medical factors," study author Dr. Giovanni Ravaglia, of the University Hospital S. Orsola Malpighi in Bologna, said in a prepared statement.
"It's important to note that an easy-to-perform moderate activity like walking provided the same cognitive benefits as other, more demanding activities," Ravaglia noted.
Sept. 2, 2008 -- Older adults who take a brisk stroll just three times a week could boost their brainpower and reduce the risk of memory-robbing illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease.
Research published in this week's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association is believed to be the first to show that home-based exercise improves cognitive function in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a stage between normal aging and dementia. MCI is marked by mild forgetfulness, language difficulties, and other cognitive problems that are noticeable but do not interfere with everyday tasks.
Nicola T. Lautenschlager, MD, of the University of Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues wanted to see if physical activity would reduce the rate of cognitive decline among older adults at risk for dementia. Their study involved 138 adults aged 50 and older with self-reported memory problems but who did not meet criteria for dementia. The average age was 69 years old.
Researchers randomly assigned study participants to education and usual care or a 24-week home-based exercise program. The team encouraged those in the exercise group to get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week, broken down into three, 50-minute sessions. Walking was the most frequently recommended type of activity.
Walking and Brainpower
Those assigned to the activity program exercised 142 more minutes each week, or 20 more minutes per day, than those in the usual care group. "At 6 months, participants in the physical activity group were walking about 9,000 steps a week more than the usual care group," the team writes in the journal article.
Those in the exercise group scored higher on cognitive tests and had better delayed recall. For example, they could more accurately remember a list of words after a certain amount of time had passed than those in the other group.
Researchers also noted lower Clinical Dementia Rating scores among those who were more physically active.
Lautenschlager says the benefits could be seen after 6 months and that they lasted for at least a year after the program's end.
"Unlike medication, which was found to have no significant effect on mild cognitive impairment at 36 months, physical activity has the advantage of health benefits that are not confined to cognitive function alone, as suggested by findings on depression, quality of life, falls, cardiovascular function, and disability," the authors say in a news release.
"Effect of physical activity on cognitive function in older adults at risk for Alzheimer disease: a randomized trial,"
Lautenschlager NT, Cox KL, et al, JAMA, 2008; 300(9): 1027-37. (Address: WA Centre for Health and Ageing, University of Western Australia, Melbourne, Australia. E-mail: Nicola T. Lautenschlager, MD, [email protected] ).
In a randomized, controlled trial involving 138 subjects over 50 years of age with subjective memory impairment, adherence to a 6-month physical activity program was found to modestly improve cognition.
Subjects were randomized to either adhere to the physical activity program (three 50 minute sessions of moderate physical activity per week) for 6 months or to 'usual care.' Subjects were followed up with for 18 months.
Results found that at 18 months, subjects who participated in physical activity showed an overall improvement of 0.26 points on the 'Change in Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale' (ADAS-Cog), versus a 1.04 decline found among subjects in the 'usual care' group. Subjects in the intervention group showed an improvement of 0.73 points in the ADAS-Cog versus a 0.04 point improvement among subjects in the usual care group. Modest improvements in word list delayed recall and Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes were found as well.
These results suggest that even 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week for a period of 6 months may modestly improve cognitive function in adults experiencing subjective memory impairment.
Moderate Exercise May Protect Your Brain
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