Until now, most studies have broadly linked dementia prevention to factors such as regulating cholesterol levels, maintaining healthy blood pressure and blood sugar, and staying physically active, but they lacked precise guidance on the type and minimum duration of exercise required to achieve protective benefits.
A small amount of physical activity can lower the risk of developing dementia by 41% even for older adults, reveals a new study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Dementia is an age-related condition characterized by deterioration in a person’s memory, thinking, behaviour, and motor control. It is the seventh leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability, as per the World Health Organization. India alone has 5 million people with dementia.
The study points out that engaging in just 35 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week can significantly reduce the risk of dementia, adding a new dimension to earlier research that suggested that dementia may be prevented through lifestyle changes.
Until now, most studies have broadly linked dementia prevention to factors such as regulating cholesterol levels, maintaining healthy blood pressure and blood sugar, and staying physically active, but they lacked precise guidance on the type and minimum duration of exercise required to achieve protective benefits.
Addressing this gap, the new research demonstrates that even modest levels of activity can make a difference. “This study adds to the growing body of evidence that some exercise is better than nothing, especially concerning an aging-related disorder that affects the brain that currently has no cure,” said the study lead author, Amal Wanigatunga, Assistant Professor at the Bloomberg School’s Department of Epidemiology and faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Importantly, the findings challenge the notion that only high-intensity or prolonged exercise is necessary for brain health. Such recommendations are often unrealistic for older adults and can discourage regular activity. This study offers a practical approach suggesting that “increasing physical activity, even as little as 5 minutes per day,” can be beneficial for older adults.
Study Findings
The dataset covered nearly 90,000 adults aged 50 or older, constituting a subpopulation of the UK Biobank study, which is a long-term study in the United Kingdom that houses biological samples of half a million people. These adults were required to wear a smartwatch-type activity tracker, based on which their health status was followed up for an average of 4.4 years. This follow-up led to the categorization of dementia risk in connection with the physical activity performed by these individuals.
“Dementia risk was 60% lower in participants in 35 to 69.9 minutes of physical activity per week; 63% lower in the 70 to 139.9 minutes of physical activity per week, and 69% lower in 140 and over minutes of physical activity per week,” as per the study.
With India’s elderly population projected to double to over 20% by 2050, this study reinforces the role of exercise in improving the quality of life of the elderly population.
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