Regular exercise can reduce the risk of dementia
Older people who engage in regular physical activity reduce their risk of dementia.
According to the study in the journal stroke, vascular-related dementia is reduced by 40 percent and cognitive impairment by 60 percent.
Regular physical activity had this beneficial effect in people regardless of age, education, changes in the brain’s white matter and even previous history of stroke or diabetes.
Alzheimer’s Society comment:
‘You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to reap the benefits of exercise. As this research shows, making sure we are fitting regular bursts of activity into our daily lives can make a real difference to the brain as well as the heart.
Eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly and not smoking as well as getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly can make an important contribution to reducing your risk of developing dementia.’
The findings are based on a multinational European study that included annual full cognitive assessments of 639 people in their 60s and 70s for three years.
Almost 64 per cent said they were active at least 30 minutes a day three times a week. The activity included gym classes, walking and biking.
Tagged in exercise Dementia fitness tips