People who exercise all their lives have a better chance of avoiding dementia – even if they show signs of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, a new study led by UCL researchers.
The research, published in Brain communicationis part of the Insight46 research, which since their birth in 1946 has collected health data from more than 450 people.
The team investigated how free time physical activity patterns influenced the health of the brain over 30 years – in particular early markers of Alzheimer’s disease – and cognition at the age of 70.
They discovered that being physically active, especially before the age of 50, is linked to a larger hippocampus (the area of the brain that is especially responsible for memory).
People who trained throughout life also had less chance of experiencing cognitive decline, even if they had important markers of Alzheimer’s, such as amyloid structure and brain shrinkage. This was especially the case for women.
Insight into more about how physical exercise changes the brain and possibly protects people against dementia can lead to new interventions in the future, which can prevent the condition from taking place in the first place.
Our findings show that it remains active throughout your life, especially before you turn 50, keep your brain healthy and delay early signs of Alzheimer’s. This especially applies to women.
We hope that our work will emphasize the crucial importance of sports to support the health of the brain for people of all ages. “
Dr. Sarah-Nomi James, main author, UCL Dementia Research Center and MRC unit for lifelong health and aging at UCL
As part of the Insight46 research, the team collected information about how often a person himself had reported and participated in physical activity for leisure time in 30 years, before and after they turned 50. The team then analyzed brain scans that were taken when the participants were 70 years old to see if physical changes in the brain were linked to lifelong exercises.
Dr.’s team James discovered that people who said they had some month before they were 50 years old, the tendency to shrink less in the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus. This area is often the first brain area that is affected in Alzheimer’s disease.
Being physically active was not directly related to other Alzheimer’s disease markers in the brain, such as amyloid plaques or overall brain bulking. Being active, however, helped people with early Alzheimer’s illness markers to maintain and buffer their cognitive function, especially for women.
There are indications that keeping our brains healthy can help build ‘cognitive reserve and resilience’, so that the memory and thinking can be helped longer in old age. This is despite brain aging and having signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
Again, this beneficial effect was even more prominent in women. Those who had signs of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains, but those who were active in the past were more likely to have a better cognitive function than those who were always inactive.
The team is now calling for further research to investigate which aspects of the physical activity of leisure time can cause this relationship. This could be used in the future as a preventive intervention for Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. James said: “Exercise is essential to keep our brains healthy. But we are still building a picture of what physical changes are happening in the brain to protect it against dementia.
“Insight46 has given us valuable instructions about which changes are happening in the brain, so that new exciting research states are opened.
“More work will be crucial to fully understand how exercise, and participate in leisure activities during our lives can be a powerful tool to protect people against dementia for as long as possible.”
This study was mainly funded by subsidies from Alzheimer’s Research UK, the Dementias Platform UK from Medical Research Council and the Wolfson Foundation.
David Thomas, head of policy and public affairs at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Dementia is not only an inevitable part of aging and finding ways to prevent people ever developing, is an essential part of our mission for a remedy .
“Research shows that almost half of the cases of dementia can be prevented or delayed by tackling the risk factors of health and lifestyle. This means that there are things that we can all do to reduce our risk, such as physically active .
“Studies such as Insight46 have not only emphasized which factors influence the health of the brain, but also at what point in a person these factors have the most impact.
“Although there is no certain way to prevent dementia, there are some things in our control that can reduce our risk, including remain active and take care of our heart health, challenge our brains and stay connected to the people around us. The proof leaves proof Seeing that it is never too early or later to make positive changes. “
Graham’s story:
The research by Alzheimer UK Graham Kent, 74, has a special motivation to ensure his health. With his wife, Marie, the Alzheimer’s diagnosis was diagnosed in 2019, so Graham is determined to train regularly to reduce his risk of dementia.
Graham said: “Because of Marie’s Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s, I want to make sure that I am in the area for her as long as possible. Part of it means fit and staying active to keep my brain healthy.
“The first thing I do in the morning is going out with our dog. And I train with a friend at least once a week. It’s great to run with people because you keep each other responsible and stay connected to them the same time.
“Running is very nice because I know that every time I’m exercising, it’s good for my heart and brain. I can’t have a control train regularly to keep my brain healthy for as long as possible.”
Study restrictions
The limitations of the study include the dependence on self -reported physical activity of leisure time, which does not take into account professional or other physical activities, and the lack of objective measures such as training intensity or duration. Moreover, there was a higher failure among disadvantaged participants, who can influence the generalizability of the findings.
Source: