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Subscribe to RSSEven people in their 80s may be able to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s simply by increasing how much they move around each day, a new study suggests.
In a four-year study of 716 elderly Americans, researchers found that the least active seniors were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to the most active.
Seniors’ activity levels were measured with an actigraph, a watch-sized device worn on the wrist that detects movements all through the day and night.
Intriguingly, much of the movement measured by the actigraphs came from regular daily activities, such as cooking, washing dishes, or cleaning, rather than formal exercise, said the study’s lead author, Dr. Aron Buchman, a professor of neurological sciences at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at the Rush University Medical Center.
The take home message, Buchman said, is that even people who have disabilities that prevent them from exercising can benefit just by making sure they move around a lot. “So even if you’re housebound, you may benefit from increasing whatever you do in the house,” he added.
An Alzheimer’s expert who is unaffiliated with the new study called the results “a fabulous finding.”
“I think this study is very simple and it has a very simple and very clear message: move more,” said Dr. Steven Arnold, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Penn Memory Center. “The bottom line is that people who tend to be more active than others have a lower risk.”
For the new study, Buchman and his colleagues asked 716 volunteers without dementia to wear an actigraph on their non-dominant wrist continuously for 10 days. The volunteers had an average age of 82.
The volunteers were given annual cognitive tests to measure memory and thinking abilities. They were also asked to fill out surveys that asked about physical and social activities.
Because the new research is part of a larger, ongoing long-term study, Buchman and his colleagues also had information on volunteers’ health before the activity measurements. “There was no association between activity level and prior rate of cognitive decline,” Buchman said. “So it’s not like people with low activity were already on a trajectory toward dementia or more rapid cognitive decline.”
Four years after the volunteers had done the actigraph experiment, 71 had developed dementia. When the researchers compared physical activity of the volunteers, they determined that those in the bottom 10 percent of intensity of physical activity were 2.8 times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to those in the top 10 percent. And those results held up even when the researchers accounted for factors such as age, gender, chronic illness and depression.
Arnold isn’t surprised to see that risk went down with the intensity of physical activity. Animal studies have shown that the brain actually makes new cells when animals exercise. But that’s only when the animals choose to exercise, Arnold said.
“It’s interesting that if the mouse is forced to run on a wheel, it doesn’t have as good an effect as when the exercise is voluntary,” Arnold said. “Usually if you put them on a wheel they’ll just run for fun.”
A promising study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that a spritz of insulin may improve memory in Alzheimer's patients. NBC's Robert Bazell has more.
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I wonder about all these studies. People are less active sometimes because they are sick, don't feel well, or are in a state of dementia and just sit around. Also people are more active if they feel well and have clear minds. So I am not sure I buy all that activity reduces chances of Alzheimer's, so much as the on set of Alzheimer's causes people to just be less active.
Terry-753375 makes a good point. Correlation between Alzheimer's and lower levels of activity does not necessarily imply there's a statistical causation of Alzheimer's by lower levels of activity. The expert cited in the article even admitted that this was a simple study. The medical experts should have really gone out on a limb and concluded that living is the leading cause of dying.
I tend to agree with you guys. It was my thoughts that it was the onset of dementia that was causing the ones that showed signs later to be less activity.
The same old story. Come up with a theory and try to prove it with statistics rather than use the statistics to determine the truth. By their own admission activity does not cure the dementia, it just points out the ones that don't want to be active are most likely to develop it.
This is an interesting observation, but so far just that. I do not see anything in this article that says they have found any causal relationship between reduced activity and an increase in Alzheimer's. There is a little bit of a chicken and egg question here. Is the lack of activity causing the increase in Alzheimer's, or is the Alzheimer's causing a decrease in physical activity?!?! I think they need to look more closely at those who developed Alzheimer's to see if the onset of the symptoms preceded to reduction in activity or follows it. I know that this is difficult to do because the early symptoms of Alzheimer's can be very subtle and difficult to detect, but it is really the only way to see which is causing which. They should also look at whether the person's activity levels remain constant throughout the development of the disease, or does activity level drop off as the disease progresses.
Another question is whether latent Alzheimer disease with the potential for expression is delayed by the increased physical activity.
Alzheimer's is characterized by an accumulation of defective peptides in the brain. What I wonder is if increased blood flow in the brain - either by mental or physical activity - helps sweep away some of those peptides.
What I find interesting is that Alzheimers seems to be a pretty new disease....and affecting people who are not elderly either (I have heard of people in their 30's and 40's demonstrating symptoms of the disease.) So, that being said, a 30 or 40 year old is certainly more active than somebody in their 80's....why are younger people developing the disease then? 30 years ago, you didn't hear about Alzheimers, and dementia was something that usually accompanied extreme age or was the direct result of another serious illness or medical condition that would affect brain function and activity.
I have Alzheimer's. I have Alzheimer's.
My mom walked at least 2 miles a day, 5 days a week and attended Curves at least 3 days a week. Didn't make a difference when Alzheimer's attacked her at age 69. She continued to walk up until the last 6 months. She is now 73. There is no magic pill, and no turning back. We've lost a brilliant woman. Like Terry, I don't believe a lot of what is thrown out in these studies. They don't know how to prevent it, or stop it. Yet. I pray that they eventually find something.
For whatever it's worth I received this in an email today. You be the judge to see if you want to try it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=ZZOR-Qd3QSg
Studies like these are based on group statistics, not individual cases. An active person may develop problems, while a particular inactive person may be fine for his/her entire life. This study didn't claim that exercise would prevent problems in all cases (like a vaccine). Rather, it pointed out that the RATE of problems was lower in the active group. If the study can be replicated, that is important information.
Think of it this way. A particular non-smoker can develop lung cancer, while a particular smoker may never develop lung cancer. But, that doesn't invalidate the studies that find very strong links between smoking and lung cancer.
Amen.....but sometimes I think that they do these studies just to demonstrate a result that is consistent with their theories. Instead of trying to find the missing variables, they are trying to prove what they already know. Think of how long our nation has been fighting diabetes, and yet there still is no cure.
Very poorly done. Of course people with dementia are less active even before the disease progresses. I hope no federal funds were used for this study.
I know this is anecdotal, but my dad was extremely active and pretty sharp until he died at 86. My aunt, his sister, who is 96, has been housebound for the last 5 years. This is mostly her doing. She does nothing to stimulate her mind or body and she is sharp as a tack, remembers everything. She shows no signs of physical or mental failure. Go figure.
Its clear that physical and especially mental activity do seem to decrease the chances of developing Alzheimer's, and also to slow the decline of those who have it. But the early-onset type has shown us that most cases of the disease may be having unnoticed effects on behavior (especially via motivation, creativity reduction) 20 or more years earlier than we thought. Some day we'll be able to mark the plaques and tangles, or even the enzyme deficits that seem to produce them, and diagnose a person with Alzheimer's early enough to make studies like this more exacting. But for now, the less active may in many cases already be showing the effects of an imperceptible mental decline.
Just another gov't grant study. Lots of personal experiences that do not support this garbage science.
They must need more grant money to disprove their hypothesis.
Thought keeping your mind active helps more to fend off this affliction than physical exercise, for example: doing crossword puzzles or other puzzles; keeping a diary/journal and other mental exercises; spending time with family and/or friends, etc.
Of course, it doesn't hurt to try staying physically active as well, right?
Did you notice that the types of physical activity that they mentioned as most effective (household chores, for instance) probably require more mental activity than formalized exercise (a treadmill, perhaps)? It could be that certain types of exercise stimulate mental processes.
Um, ok "study".....so explain why Pat Summit (Tennessee womens basketball coach) has dementia in her 50's!! She's active duh!
Physical activity, even folding the clothes stimulates the brain. Matching colors socks is a great task. If you are looking for activities such as jigsaw puzzles, 6, 12 & 20 piece with age appropriate themes, memoryjoggingpuzzles has the best assortment and prices. There are also memory exercise card games designed for dementia patients success.
Any activity is better than sitting starring at the TV ...usually makes them fall asleep.
Get up and move! Interesting new research on Alzheimer's and daily activity
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