By Melissa MacVenn, M.D. – WellcomeMD Naples
New Alzheimer’s disease research brings a powerful message about how we can protect the aging brain. The article appeared in the December Journal of Neuroscience, and is based on a careful study of hundreds of people in their 80s and early 90s.
Lead researcher Kaitlin Casaletto of the University of California San Francisco Memory and Aging Center found that in older people, physical activity may prevent or delay Alzheimer’s disease and its memory loss and other cognitive issues. The long-term study monitored movement, regularly tested memory and other cognitive skills, and examined brain tissue. The findings are not subtle.
We’ve known some of this information from earlier research, but it has not been scientifically confirmed until now: the activity needed to see these benefits is not large. You do not need to train for a marathon or start power lifting. You just have to move. A regular routine consisting of a 30-to-60-minute walk once a day is sufficient. That’s the encouraging news I’ll be telling my patients at WellcomeMD Naples.
Dr. Casaletto told a reporter that there was a direct relationship between how much the people in the study moved and their brain health. Few had formal exercise routines, she said, but “the less they sat, the more they stood, the more they moved around, the better their outcomes.”
The research also broke new ground by examining the brain tissue of 167 participants who died while it was underway. Those who had been physically active on a regular basis generally showed much less evidence of Alzheimer’s. Some of the “movers” had physical brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s, but often had fewer memory issues or other cognitive losses than those who moved less. There is also evidence that even if you’ve noticed some cognitive issues like memory loss as you age, exercise can sometimes diminish them.
Once again: it doesn’t seem to take much movement. Walking or standing is better than sitting. Most adults can’t feasibly exercise or move around the entire day, but if you can, get up and move your legs and feet or even walk in place.
I have more time than some to work new research findings like these into my practice, and I was glad to see it confirmed. Get more movement into your day for your overall health and the function of your precious and intricate brain.
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