Dementia and Exercise

In 2018, McNamara wrote an article that still stands true today. The topic of this article was the correlation of exercise and dementia. Physical Fitness tied to a nearly 90% reduction in dementia risk (McNamara, 2018).  

 

This longitudinal study was performed on middle aged women and found that middle aged women with high cardiovascular activities have a near 905 reduction of risk factors for dementia compared to their moderately fit counter parts (McNamara, 2018). Amazingly in addition to this, those women who did develop the disease, developed it on average 11 years later (age of 90) than those of moderate fitness (McNamara, 2018).  

Reviews and meta analyses of observational studies suggest the link between physical activity and cognitive function and decreased risk for dementia (McNamara, 2018). “However, it remains unclear whether the association between physical activity and dementia is mediated by social or cognitive stimulation rather than the level of physical fitness” (McNamara, 2018). 

McNamara, D. (2018). Physical Fitness Tied to a Nearly 90% Reduction in Dementia Risk. Medscape Medical News.