Dementia: A brisk walk each day ‘slashes your risk of developing Alzheimer’s by a THIRD’
A BRISK walk each day could slash your risk of developing dementia by a third, a new study has claimed.
Keeping fit into middle age might be the key to staving off Alzheimer's.
Research at Washing VA Medical Center found people who kept up a decent level of fitness were 33 per cent less likely to develop the disease.
Even just a half-an-hour walk five days a week, or a 15 minute walk daily could be enough to slash the risk.
Study author Dr Edward Zamrini said: "One exciting finding of this study is that as people’s fitness improved, their risk of Alzheimer’s disease decreased - it was not an all-or-nothing proposition.
"So people can work toward making incremental changes and improvements in their physical fitness and hopefully that will be associated with a related decrease in their risk of Alzheimer’s years later.
"The idea that you can reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s disease by simply increasing your activity is very promising, especially since there are no adequate treatments to prevent or stop the progression of the disease.
"We hope to develop a simple scale that can be individualised so people can see the benefits that even incremental improvements in fitness can deliver."
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The study involved 649,605 military vets with an average of 61. None of them had Alzheimer's disease when they began they study.
The group was followed for nine years, after being divided into five groups based on their fitness.
Fitness levels were decided depending on how well participants did on a treadmill test.
For people who are middle-aged and older, the highest level of fitness can be achieved by walking briskly most days of the week, for two-and-a-half hours or more per week.
What are the main symptoms of dementia?
Dementia symptoms vary depending on the cause. But common signs and symptoms include:
Cognitive changes
- memory loss, which is usually noticed by a spouse or someone else
- confusion and disorientation, such as not knowing the place or time
Difficulty:
- communicating or finding words
- following a conversation
- with visual and spatial abilities, such as getting lost while driving
- reasoning or problem-solving
- handling complex tasks
- planning and organising
- with coordination and motor functions
Psychological changes
- personality changes
- depression
- anxiety
- inappropriate behaviour
- paranoia
- agitation
- hallucinations
The symptoms specific to Alzheimer's disease include:
- memory problems, such as regularly forgetting recent events, names and faces
- asking questions repetitively
- increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require organisation and planning
- becoming confused in unfamiliar environments
- difficulty finding the right words
- difficulty with numbers and/or handling money in shops
- becoming more withdrawn or anxious
The group with the lowest level of fitness developed Alzheimer’s at a rate of 9.5 cases per 1,000 person-years, compared to 6.4 cases per 1,000 person-years for the most fit group.
Person-years take into account the number of people in a study as well as the amount of time spent in the study.
The findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 74th Annual Meeting in Seattle.
Dementia is a general term used to describe the deterioration of a person's mental ability.
It is an umbrella term, as there are many different types of the condition.
One of those is Alzheimer's - which is the most common form of dementia.
It accounts for 60-80 per cent of dementia cases, which is why the names may sometimes be used interchangeably.
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