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High Fitness in middle age can reduce dementia
By Nikeh Gray
To establish each participants peak cardiovascular capacity, researchers asked the female subjects to participate in a bicycle exercise fitness test until they felt physically exhausted. Over the 44-year period, the women were assessed for dementia six times.
The study found that women who have high levels of fitness during middle age had an 88 per cent lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia, in comparison to those who were moderately fit.
On a global scale, more women live with dementia than men, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). But ladies don’t despair, a new study suggests women who have high fitness in middle age are at a reduced risk of being diagnosed with dementia later in life.
Physical fitness can bring a range of health benefits, from strengthening muscles to improved cardiovascular health and, now, dementia. A recent study from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden assessed the fitness of 191 women, aged 50 on average, over a 44-year period.
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Dementia, an umbrella term for neurodegenerative diseases, causes memory loss and other cognitive impairments. It affects approximately 50 million people worldwide, according to the WHO, and is most common in older adults.
The results of the study are promising, but there are some limitations as Dr Aoife Kiely, Research Communications Officer at the Alzheimer’s Society, highlights.
“Some of the limitations would be that it only involved women, and we can’t be sure it will be the same for men,” she says.
“We know that it affects a huge number of men as well, so the more men and women who have cardiovascular disease, the more potential they have developing dementia and memory problems.”
Fabian Duffus, 46, who regularly does resistance training, believes “there’s different elements to maintaining good health”.
“The research doesn’t encourage me on a dementia level. As well as fitness, you have to have your nutrients; a good healthy diet will give you a healthy brain too. That is more essential than the gym.”
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There have been many different studies that have looked at the effect of exercise on memory and dementia, but “a lot of those studies have issues with them”, says Dr Kiely.
“The problem is we don’t have a cure for dementia and we don’t currently know of any way of slowing it down or definitively preventing dementia.
“Of the research that has been done so far, there are a few things that we can quite confidently say helps to reduce your risk of developing dementia: having good cardiovascular health, exercising regularly to reduce cardiovascular disease, don’t drink or smoke.
“Social interactions can help reduce your risk of developing depression, which is also another risk factor for developing dementia.”
Despite the limitations of the scientific research, Dr Kiely still encourages high levels of fitness.
“From the Alzheimer’s Society’s point of view, we still very much encourage people to exercise and be as fit as you can, keep up regular exercise.
“We definitely know that if your have a healthier heart, then you tend to have a healthier brain.
“We often tell people, what’s good for your heart is good for your head,” said Dr Kiely.
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