American research finds that older people who walk more and are more physically active have less risk of dementia
Older women have less risk for mild cognitive impairment or dementia, if they walk more every day and if they generally do more physical activity of moderate to high intensity, shows a new American scientific study.
There are various types of dementia (with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common) and with symptoms such as memory loss, dysfunction of thinking or problem solving, etc. Mild cognitive impairment is a possible precursor to dementia. The risk of dementia is greater for women than for men.
Investigatorsled by Dr. Steve Nguyen and Professor Andrea LaCroix of the School of Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, who made the relevant publication in the Alzheimer’s and Dementia journal “Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association,” analyzed data on 1,277 women over the age of 65 who wore a special device to record their steps and activity.
On average, the participants took 3,216 steps, 45.5 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity (such as brisk walking) and 10.5 hours of sitting each day. Housework and garden work were considered light activity.
It was found that each additional mequal hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day was associated with a 21% reduction in the risk of being diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. The risk was also reduced by 33% for every extra 1,865 steps taken during the day. On the other hand, no correlation was found between total sitting time and dementia risk.
“Since the onset of dementia begins 20 or more years before the first symptoms appear, early intervention to delay or prevent cognitive decline and dementia in the elderly is essential,” said Dr. LaCroix. “Physical activity is recognized as one of the three most promising ways to reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Prevention is important because once dementia is diagnosed, it is very difficult to slow or reverse it. There is no cure,” he added.
The researchers emphasized the need for “elderly people to be encouraged to increase their mobility to at least moderate intensity and to take as many steps as possible each day in order to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.”
Read the scientific publication here
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