Alzheimer's and Exercise - can it help?

The RESEARCH -What About Exercise?

New research adds to the growing evidence that physical activity can reduce cognitive decline and slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease.  The significance of this particular study is that it measured total daily activity using actigraphy instead of relying on self-reporting by study subjects.  Study findings showed a clear relationship between higher levels of overall physical activity and lower rates of cognitive decline.

More good news from this research is that increasing activity helps even when people are over the age of 80, since the average age of study subjects was 82. What’s more, every movement counts—even activities as simple as cooking, playing cards or washing dishes.

The mental and physical diseases that occur in old age are directly tied to the cardiovascular and metabolic systems. People who have diabetes have a 65% higher risk of developing dementia.  Those with heart disease are at far greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.  High cholesterol increases the risk of developing dementia by 43%.  We know that exercise and good nutrition can prevent or significantly decrease most of these conditions!!!

Neuroscientists recommend swimming, dancing, gardening, knitting, more frequent use of the non-dominant hand and leg, and walking 10,000 steps on a daily basis.   A daily 20-minute walk can cut the risk of having a stroke, one of the leading causes of mental disability in the elderly, by 57%.

Regular cardiovascular exercise gets blood to the brain, bringing much-needed oxygen and glucose for energy, thereby enhancing neuronal connections. Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise stimulates the production of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which also stimulates the growth of new cells in the hippocampus.

Arthur Kramer, PhD, of the University of Illinois, tested the cognitive functioning of 124 men and women, aged 60–75. Subjects were divided into two groups; one walked briskly for an hour three times per week, while the other did yoga-type stretching. After 6 months of activity, they were given a memory test, and the walkers scored 25% higher than those who stretched.

More research states that  elderly people who dance regularly decrease their risk of dementia by 76%.