Rigorous exercise does not slow dementia decline

A study involving nearly 500 people with dementia has found that a rigorous physical exercise program did nothing to slow their decline.

A number of studies have found that physical exercise can help delay the onset of dementia, however the ability of exercise to slow the decline once dementia has set in is a more equivocal question. A large new study answers this question in the negative.

The study involved 494 people with mild-to-moderate dementia (average age 77; 61% male), of whom 329 were randomly assigned to a four-month aerobic and strength exercise programme and 165 were assigned to usual care. The exercise program was personalized, and involved two 60-90 minute gym sessions every week, plus a further hour at home. Nearly two-thirds of the exercise group attended more than three-quarters of the gym sessions.

While the exercise group did get physically fitter, their cognitive fitness (as measured by ADAS-cog score) actually worsened slightly.

The researchers emphasize that this was a specialized and intense exercise program, and in no way should it be taken to mean that gentle exercise, which is good for dementia sufferers, should be avoided.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/16/rigorous-exercise-makes-dementia-worse-study-concludes

Reference:

[4353] Lamb, S. E., Sheehan B., Atherton N., Nichols V., Collins H., Mistry D., et al.
(2018). Dementia And Physical Activity (DAPA) trial of moderate to high intensity exercise training for people with dementia: randomised controlled trial.
BMJ. 361, k1675.

seniors

Exercise

Alzheimers prevention

Alzheimers

Related News

Cholesterol levels linked to amyloid plaques in brain

A study involving 74 older adults (70+), of whom 3 had mild dementia, 33 were cognitively normal and 38 had mild cognitive impairment, has found that high levels of "good" cholesterol and low levels of "bad" cholesterol correlated with lower levels of the amyloid-beta plaques in the brain (a hal

Large waist linked to poor health even when BMI healthy

Data from 11 different cohort studies, involving more than 600,000 people from around the world, has found that:

Supplements don’t reduce risk of cardiovascular disease in elderly

Data from AREDS2, involving 4,203 older adults with age-related macular degeneration, has found that daily dietary supplements of either omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (also found in fish) or lutein and zeaxanthin (nutrients found in green leafy vegetables) were not associated with reduced

Tart cherry juice improves sleep for insomniacs

A small trial involving seven older adults with insomnia has found that when they consumed 8 ounces of tart cherry juice twice daily for two weeks, they were able to sleep more than an hour longer each night (averaging 84 minutes) compared to when they took the placebo, and their sleep tended to

Heart disease risk linked with spouses' social support

A study in which 136 older couples (average age 63) filled out questionnaires measuring their overall marriage quality and their perceived support from their spouse, has found that calcification in the coronary arteries was highest when both partners in the relationship viewed each other as offe

Preventing major depression in adults with mild symptoms

Previous research has indicated that about a quarter of older adults who become mildly depressed will go on to become seriously depressed within a year or two.

New cause of high blood pressure and heart disease discovered

Two studies help explain why kidney disease increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and vascular calcification. The mediator seems to be a hormone called FGF23, which is sensitive to the level of phosphates in the body.

How stress increases your risk for stroke and heart attack

A study in which 157 healthy adult volunteers were asked to regulate their emotional reactions to unpleasant pictures, has found that those who showed greater brain activation when regulating their negative emotions also had higher blood levels of interleukin-6 (a marker for inflammation) and in

Oxidants not all bad?

A finding that free radicals promote longevity in the roundworm challenges the theory that free radicals (oxidants) are damaging and cause aging.

Diabetes duration and severity associated with brain atrophy

A study involving 614 patients with type 2 diabetes (mean age 62) has found that longer duration of diabetes was associated with more brain volume loss, particularly in the gray matter.

Pages