Being physically active for at least
2.5 hours per week could delay decline in mental capacity in a rare form of
Alzheimer's disease that starts years earlier, according to recently published
research.
Evidence suggests that a person can alter
risk factors for Alzheimers's disease by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
The finding comes from an
international study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St.
Louis, MO, that is called the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network (DIAN)
and is following people with autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease (ADAD)
and their families.
ADAD is a
rare form of Alzheimer's in which symptoms of dementia start before the age of 65 and is caused by inherited gene
variants.
In the United States, there are
around 5.7 million people living with dementia due to
Alzheimer's disease. This number is likely to rise to almost 14 million by
2050.
Alzheimer's is the only one of the
top 10 killers in the U.S. that has no cure or treatments that prevent or slow
its progression.
The disease is progressive and
relentless; it destroys brain cells and tissue, causing the brain to shrink.
This leads to loss of capacity that affects thinking, memory, social
interaction, and other functions. The ability to do everyday tasks and take
care of oneself gradually diminishes.
Influencing
risk factors
The strongest risk factors for
Alzheimer's disease are things we cannot change. These are: age, family history, and
inherited genes.
However, there is a growing body of
evidence to suggest that we can alter the strength of these risk factors — by
adopting healthful lifestyle strategies.
These strategies include following a
healthful diet, continuing with social activities, not smoking, avoiding too
much alcohol, and being physically and mentally active.
The recent
findings, which now feature in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, add to
this evidence and suggest that it applies even to a form of Alzheimer's disease
that starts earlier in life.
The investigators analyzed data on
275 DIAN study people, of average age 38.4 years, all of whom had a mutated
gene for ADAD.
Of these individuals, 156 were
"high-active" — that is, they did more than the recommended 150
minutes, or 2.5 hours, per week of exercise such as walking, swimming,
aerobics, and running. The "low-active" ones did less.
'Physically
active lifestyle is achievable'
The investigators did not measure
intensity of exercise but state that the type and how often it was engaged in
was confirmed by family or friends.
When they analyzed the data on
physical activity and results of cognitive and other function tests and
biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, the team found that doing more than the
recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week was tied to "significantly
better cognition and less Alzheimer's disease pathology."
The cognitive and other function
tests included the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Clinical Dementia
Rating Sum of Boxes. The more active individuals scored better on these tests
and also had lower levels of tau protein and other biomarkers in their
cerebrospinal fluid. Tau protein buildup in the brain is a hallmark of
Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers note that 70 percent
of ADAD individuals in the DIAN study were achieving the 150 minutes per week
of activity that is recommended by bodies such as the American College of
Sports Medicine and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The authors conclude:
"Therefore, a physically active
lifestyle is achievable and may play an important role in delaying the
development and progression of ADAD. Individuals at genetic risk for dementia
should therefore be counseled to pursue a physically active lifestyle."
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