The world’s best health advice is to get regular exercise. In the pages of Doctors Health Press, this fact has been discussed exhaustively. It stretches in different directions, and in two new studies that direction is Alzheimer’s disease. The message: regular physical activity is linked with less decline in cognitive function in older adults. In other words, a stronger mind.
The essence of natural health is exercise. We know it keeps the body fit, but there is a mounting pile of evidence that shows it keeps the mind fit as well. Past research has focused on people of good health and moderate to vigorous exercise. The new studies sought to fill in the blanks, with people perhaps not in such good health, and low-intensity exercise.
One looked at data from a large study on more than 2,800 women. They scrutinized their cognition and memory and then followed up three more times over the next five years. They found that the more the women walked and expended energy, the more the rate of cognitive decline decreased. The amount of exercise equivalent to a brisk, 30-minute walk every day was associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment.
The other study included 197 patients with an average age of 75, who had no cognitive issues when the study began in 1998. The researchers measured their total energy expenditure and assessed their cognitive function, following up two to five years later. Adjusting for many variables, they arrived at this conclusion: those who had the best scores in fitness levels tended to have lower odds of cognitive impairment.
Both studies suggest there is more to learn about the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function. But the idea itself is incredibly important, as exercise is something anybody can get , even those who aren’t in the best health. A half-hour of moderate walking a day is not too onerous to achieve. And that simple action could keep the mind sharp, the memory clear, and the ability to think crisp well into retirement age.
And that just may keep Alzheimer’s disease away.
Next Post:
The Many Health Powers of Inositol, Part 2 Previous Post:
Does Your Personality Dictate Your Weight?Tags: Alzheimers Disease, exercise, natural health advice
