Delay In Dementia Onset Linked To Active Lifestyle 

News Desk

Islamabad: A long-term study has found that staying physically active throughout adulthood may postpone the onset of dementia and any quantity of exercise is beneficial.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), dementia is not a particular disease but rather a general term for the diminished capacity for memory, thought, or decision-making that interferes with performing daily tasks.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Though dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal aging. It affects about 44 million people globally and that number is projected to triple by 2050.

CDC states that of those at least 65 years of age, there is an estimated 5.0 million adults with dementia in 2014 and projected to be nearly 14 million by 2060. Because dementia is a general term, its symptoms can vary widely from person to person. People with dementia have problems with memory, attention, communication, reasoning, judgment and problem solving, visual perception beyond typical age-related changes in vision.

An estimated 40 per cent of the risk of dementia may be ascribed to modifiable variables. One such component is physical activity, which has been associated with a slight reduction in the risk of dementia from all causes, cognitive decline, and later-life cognition.

The study conducted by researchers at University College London and published online in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry examined data from 1,417 individuals who completed surveys regarding their exercise habits at various stages of adulthood, spanning from ages 36 to 69.

By age 69, those who exercised frequently during only one of the five survey periods outperformed those who continued to be physically active at least once to four times per month during all five periods.

The study, which examined the timing, frequency, and maintenance of physical activity over more than 30 years of adulthood and its relationship to cognitive function in later life, also discovered that people who started exercising in their 60s have better cognitive function than those who were inactive.

The study found that physical activity during leisure time, even at low levels, has a positive impact on cognition at any stage of adulthood and that these benefits build up over time.

Even when these variables were taken into account, the favourable relationship between exercise and cognitive function remained significant. These variables included education, childhood attainment, and socioeconomic status.

The found relationships were lessened when household income, education, and child cognitive ability were taken into account, although the findings were still statistically significant.

The study examined the association between physical exercise and later-life cognitive state and memory using a large, representative sample of people born in mainland Britain from the longest-running birth cohort.

Limitations to the study include the disproportional attrition of socially disadvantaged and less healthy participants, and the exclusive representation of white participants. The study only uses self-reported leisure-time activity and does not consider exercise adherence, intensity or duration.