Staying Active May Help Protect Brain

Getting regular exercise may help prevent vascular dementia, a study suggests. Vascular dementia damages memory and thinking. It is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. The study included 749 adults, ages 65 or older. It lasted 4 years. In this time, 27 people were diagnosed with vascular dementia. People who exercised the most were about one-quarter less likely to get vascular dementia than those who exercised the most. The activity was moderate, such as walking. HealthDay news service wrote about the study December 19. It was in the journal Neurology.

What Is the Doctor's Reaction?

Most people have heard this news: Exercise is good for you.

But a new study suggests that regular exercise is not just good for your body. It may also be good for your mind.

The 4-year study followed 749 people who were at least 66 years old. Each person was asked detailed questions about physical activity. Researchers then looked at who developed dementia, and how much exercise they did.

The results were striking:

• Those who walked the most were much less likely to develop vascular dementia than those who walked the least.

• Those who used up the most energy overall were 24% less likely to develop vascular dementia than those who were least physically active.

• Even people who did moderate-intensity activities (such as housework, yard work or light carpentry) had a reduced risk of vascular dementia.

Vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia. It's caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. It usually follows one or more strokes. Sometimes the strokes are so small that they go unnoticed until dementia develops.

If exercise can truly reduce the risk of this type of dementia, it's very good news. In fact, if researchers had discovered a new medicine that reduced dementia risk this much, it would be hailed as a major breakthrough!

This research adds to an impressive list of health benefits associated with exercise. These benefits include:

• Improved cardiovascular fitness

• Improved sense of well-being

• Loss of excess weight and reduced risk of obesity

• Improved cholesterol levels

• Improved blood pressure

• Reduced risk of diabetes

• Reduced risk of arthritis

In addition, this study provides evidence that at least some health benefits can come from activities you might not consider exercise. That is, you don't have to go to the gym to be active enough to realize certain health benefits.

Unfortunately, this study did not find that physical activity reduced the risk of Alzheimer's disease. This is the most common type of dementia.

What Changes Can I Make Now?

Commit to increasing your physical activity. This new research shows that physical activity provides health benefits for people in the mid-60s and beyond. That suggests that regardless of your age, it's worthwhile to be active.

Add these ideas to your list of New Year's resolutions:

• Make physical activity a routine part of your day. And make it a priority.

• Walk more. Don't choose the closest parking spot; park farther away and walk. Take the stairs rather than the elevator. Walk at a shopping mall or other indoor facility if the weather is bad.

• Get a walking partner. An exercise partner will increase the chances you'll exercise regularly (even when you don't feel like it).

• If you're not physically active now, increase your activity slowly. Be realistic about how much you do and how often you exercise.

• Find exercises you like. You're more likely to stick with them if you enjoy them. Choose more than one exercise to reduce boredom and lower your risk of injury.

• Consider working with a personal trainer or physical therapist to create an exercise program that's safe and fits your goals.

Some experts recommend mental exercise (such as reading or working crossword puzzles) to lower the risk of dementia. However, this approach remains unproven.

Besides exercise, here are some other important measures you can take to reduce your risk of vascular dementia:

• Don't smoke.

• Get your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol checked. If they are high, lower them with diet, exercise and, if necessary, medicines.

• Discuss your risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke with your doctor. If you have an irregular heartbeat (called atrial fibrillation), consider taking a blood thinner. Examples include aspirin or warfarin. These drugs may lower your risk of stroke. They also may do this for people with certain other heart conditions.

• Consider surgery if you have a severely narrowed carotid artery. These are the arteries that supply blood to the brain.

What Can I Expect Looking to the Future?

You can expect to hear much more about the health benefits of physical activity. My guess is that the list will continue to grow. We need to know more about which activities are best and how much is needed to lower the risk of dementia and other health problems. Clearly, we need more and better ways to prevent dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Future research undoubtedly will address these needs.

Copyright Harvard Health Publications - 2008