Keep moving to halve the risk of Alzheimer's
To dramatically reduce your chances of getting Alzheimer's, grab your gear and get down to the gym, out into the garden or even down to the local dance spot. A new study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, finds that any kind of exercise can improve brain volume and cut the risk of the disease by 50%.
The Alzheimer's Association estimate that Alzheimer's disease currently affects 5.1 million Americans. Numbers are expected to rise to 13.8 million over the next 30 years, as the aging population expands.
There is currently no cure, and interventions focus on prevention through lifestyle management.
MRI scans reflect benefits of exercise on the brain: Results showed that the more physical activity an individual did, the larger the brain volumes in key parts of the brain, and specifically the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, including the hippocampus. Moreover, individuals whose brains benefitted from additional physical activity had a 50% lower risk of Alzheimer's dementia.
Around 25% of the participants had mild cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's. Increasing their physical activity was also found to boost their brain volumes.
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