Both low and moderate-high intensity exercise could help fight against Alzheimer’s

Researchers from the University of California San Diego and Wake Forest University have discovered that both low and moderate high intensity exercises can be valuable tools in the fight against Alzheimer’s. The new research, published as two articles in Alzheimer and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s AssociationDescribes the results of the exercise study (exercise in adults with mild memory problems), a clinical study with multiple locations with lower or moderate high intensity exercises in sedentary older adults with amnestic mild cognitive disorders, an important risk factor for Alzheimer’s dementia. The researchers also compared their results with an existing dataset from similar persons who have only received the usual care, such as regular checks at care providers and medication management.

The researchers found:

• For service participants, the cognitive function remained stable for 12 months in both low and moderate high intensity exercises.
• Both forms of exercise were associated with significantly less cognitive decline for 12 months compared to persons who were not involved in the practice study.
• Both practice training groups to show less brain volume loss for 12 months, including in the prefrontal cortex.

Persons with amnestic mild cognitive disorders, a condition characterized by memory complaints and objective memory decrease, run a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia, in which about 16% of people with this condition continue to Alzheimer’s every year.

This is a critical time to intervene in this population, because they do not yet have dementia, but run a very high risk. Together these findings show us that even exercises with low intensity can delay the cognitive decline in older adults with risk. “

Aladdin Shadyab, Ph.D., MPH, main author of one of the new paper and assistant professor at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and School of Medicine

Although previous studies have suggested that exercise can be beneficial for cognitive health, the evidence is mixed and large, well -designed studies are needed to fully understand the potential benefits of exercise for older adults with mild cognitive disorders. The Exert study, coordinated by the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) at UC San Diego, in collaboration with Wake Forest University School of Medicine, fills this gap.

“Exert was one of the first major clinical tests with exercises that collaborated with the YMCA and her trainers to bring the intervention closer to home for research participants,” said Howard Feldman, MD, ADCS director. “This approach brings us one step closer to its implementation in the community.”

The ADCs were formed in 1991 under a cooperation agreement between the National Institute on Aging and UC San Diego and is one of the most important initiatives for Alzheimer’s research, supported by the federal government, in which treatments are tackled for both cognitive and behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer.

“There is an urgent need to identify effective and feasible ways to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s dementia, and UC San Diego has been a leader in this area for many years,” added Feldman, who is also a professor at the Department of Neurosciences at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Exercised included nearly 300 sedentary older adults with mild cognitive disorders that were randomly assigned to aerobic training of moderate high intensity or lower intensity racks, balance and motion range of movement activities. Participants completed their assigned exercise 3-4 times a week for 12 months under the supervision of a YMCA trainer, and the study also included regular assessments of cognitive function and brain volume.

“Exert is a milestone study because it is the biggest rigorous test of exercise ever performed in adults with mild cognitive disorders,” said Laura Baker, Ph.D., lead researcher of the Exert study and professor Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine. “Exercise has well -documented benefits for almost every aspect of human health, but we still unlock the full potential of exercise as a medicine for older adults with memory problems.

Although the researchers expected to see further cognitive decline of the exercise participants, they actually thought that the cognitive function remained stable for both training groups in the course of the study. This suggests that both lower and higher intensity exercises can slow down cognitive decline. Another possible explanation for the results is that participation in research itself, regardless of treatment, can offer protection against cognitive decline due to the intellectual and social stimulation involved.

In general, the findings of both studies together suggest that exercise can be a promising, safe and feasible strategy to promote brain health and to prevent continuous cognitive decline for older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

“Although there is still a lot to learn, these findings show that regular intensity exercises, even with low intensity, can help a long way to help older adults to delay or slow down the cognitive decline, and this is promising news for those who run a high risk of dementia,” Shadyab added.