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Regular exercise reduced risk for dementia, cognitive impairment
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New data published in Stroke indicate that regular physical activity reduced the risk for vascular-related dementia by 40% and cognitive impairment of any etiology by 60% in older, non-disabled adults.
"Regular physical activity of moderate intensity can in fact protect the brain of elderly subjects, so it is recommended to include physical activity in daily-life activities," study researcher Ana Verdelho, MD, of the University of Lisbon, told Healio.com.
Ana Verdelho
The Leukoaraiosis and Disability (LADIS) study included 639 participants aged 60 to 84 years, who were evaluated yearly for 3 years using a battery of tests to measure vascular risk factors — including stroke and diabetes — comorbidities, quality of life and depression. Neuropsychological evaluations were also performed, and physical activity was assessed during clinical interviews. Verdelho and colleagues used MRI tests at the beginning and conclusion of the study to observe white matter changes in the brain to measure cognitive decline.
At the end of follow-up, 14% of participants had dementia (8.4% vascular dementia, 5.3% Alzheimer’s disease with vascular component and 0.31% frontotemporal dementia) and 23% had cognitive impairment without dementia. Results showed that physical activity reduced the risk for cognitive impairment (HR=0.64; 95% CI, 0.48-0.85), dementia (HR=0.61; 95% CI, 0.38-0.98) and vascular-related dementia (HR=0.42; 95% CI, 0.22-0.80). Physical activity reduced risks for these illnesses independently of age, education, severity of changes in white matter, medial temporal atrophy, previous and incident stroke and diabetes.
“Our data support the conviction that older subjects with vascular risk factors and evidence for vascular cerebral damage benefit from regular physical activity,” the researchers wrote. “We think that relation between physical activity and cognitive impairment should be further studied by interventional studies.”
Disclosure: Study researcher Franz Fazekas, MD, received one “individual modest research grant.”