by Exercise is essential for both our physical and mental health at any age – we all know that. But researchers who wanted to understand how exercise habits affect brain health conducted a long-term analysis of a large group of participants to determine whether there was a connection between a person’s activity level and their risk of developing dementia. The key finding? Yes, there is – and it’s a significant amount.
The study
The aim of the study, published in the JAMA Network, was to find out whether physical activity is associated with a lower risk of dementia in different age groups of adults. Researchers tracked 4,354 participants for up to 40 years, with three different age groups covering early adulthood (26-44), middle life (45-64) and late life (65-88).
Each participant self-reported their exercise using the Physical Activity Index, which is based on the number of hours someone sleeps and participates in sedentary, light, moderate or heavy activity. Participants with suspected dementia were classified by teams of experts, with researchers then comparing how exercise habits affected their brain health over the course of each person’s life.
The results
In total, 567 of the 4,354 participants developed dementia, including 62 in the early adulthood cohort, 273 in the midlife cohort, and 232 in the late adulthood cohort.
Researchers found that participants who engaged in moderate or vigorous physical activity in middle and late life had a 40% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who exercised the least. Those with the highest levels of physical activity were 45% less likely to develop dementia from any cause than those with the lowest levels of activity. However, activity levels in early adult life are not associated with dementia risk.
“More physical activity in middle to later life may help reduce the risk of developing dementia,” said one of the study’s researchers, Dr. Phillip Hwang, told MedPage Today. “Identifying specific times or ages when physical activity may be most beneficial in preventing or delaying the onset of dementia may provide a better basis for recommendations and strategies for prevention, as well as for potential interventions related to physical activity across the lifespan.”
What does this mean for us?
The takeaway is simple: increasing physical activity in midlife or later life can help delay or prevent dementia. This doesn’t mean you have to add hours of training to your week. Small increases in exercise – walking more, doing some strength training, or even Pilates – all count and contribute to better brain health in the long term.
And even though activity in early adulthood doesn’t seem to have an impact on dementia risk, that’s no excuse to skip exercise until age 45. Cardiovascular fitness is still important, and the mental health benefits of staying active are well documented. Staying consistent now will simply set you up for a healthier future – physically and cognitively.
You might also like this
