Exercise Significantly Lowers Risk of Dementia
People age 65 and older who regularly walk and get other
forms of moderate exercise appear to significantly lower
their risk of developing vascular dementia, the second
most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease,
according to a study published in the December 19, 2007,
online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the
American Academy of Neurology.
The four-year study involved 749 men and women in Italy
who were over age 65 and did not have memory problems at
the beginning of the study. Researchers measured the
amount of energy exerted in the participants’ weekly
physical activities, including walking, climbing stairs,
and moderate activities, such as house and yard work,
gardening, and light carpentry. By the end of the study,
54 people developed Alzheimer’s disease and 27 developed
vascular dementia.
The study found the top one-third of participants who
exerted the most energy walking were 27 percent less
likely to develop vascular dementia than those people in
the bottom one-third of the group. Participants who
scored in the top one-third for the most energy exerted
in moderate activities lowered their risk of vascular
dementia by 29 percent and people who scored in the top
one-third for total physical activity lowered their risk
by 24 percent compared to those in the bottom one-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,” said study author Giovanni Ravaglia, MD, with
University Hospital S. Orsola Malpighi, in Bologna,
Italy. “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 says it’s possible that physical activity may
improve cerebral blood flow and lower the risk of
cerebrovascular disease, which is a risk factor for
vascular dementia, but further research is needed about
the mechanisms operating between physical activity and a
person’s memory.
Contrary to some reports, the study found that physical
activity was not associated with a reduced risk of
Alzheimer’s disease, but Ravaglia says more research is
needed before concluding that Alzheimer’s disease is not
preventable through exercise.
The study was supported by grants from the Italian
Ministry of University and Scientific Research.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of
more than 20,000 neurologists and neuroscience
professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care
through education and research. A neurologist is a
doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating
and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system
such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson
disease, and multiple sclerosis.
For more information about the American Academy of
Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com.
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