Adults who stay physically fit in their 40s and 50s not only get a healthier heart, they could also reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias as they get older.
This is according to a recent study by The Cooper Institute in collaboration with UT Southwestern Medical Center and Cooper Clinic, published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
“We’ve known that exercise is beneficial to brain health in the short-term,” Dr. Laura DeFina of The Cooper Institute and first author on the study, said in a statement. “What’s unique about this study is that it demonstrates the long-term, positive effect of fitness on the brain.”
The study followed more than 19,000 generally healthy men and women who completed a preventive medical exam at Cooper Clinic in Dallas when they were, on average, 49 years of age.
The exam also included an assessment of other health risk factors such as body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol. Their health status was evaluated using Medicare data between the years 1999 and 2009, an average of 24 years after their Cooper Clinic examination.
“The exercise we do in middle-age is relevant for not only how long we live, but also how well we live. This data provides insight into the value of lifelong exercise and its protection against dementia in older age,” Dr. Jarett Berry of UT Southwestern Medical Center and a co-author on the study, said in a statement. “The fear of dementia in later life is real, and the possibility that exercise earlier in life can lower that risk is an important public health message.”
Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias are an important public health problem.
“One in eight people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, founder and chairman emeritus of The Cooper Institute. “Payments for health care for 5.4 million Americans with dementia are projected to reach $1.1 trillion in 2050. This study shows that the most cost-effective ways to prevent dementia are through lifestyle changes that require minimal medical intervention.”
The study concluded that in addition to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s, a higher level of midlife fitness reduces the risk of all causes of dementia later in life. The magnitude and direction of the association were similar with or without previous stroke, suggesting that higher fitness levels earlier in life may lower risk for dementia later in life, independent of cerebrovascular disease.
