Being physically active in midlife could decrease a person’s risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease ( AD ) later in life, concludes an article published online by the Lancet Neurology.

Miia Kivipelto, at the Aging Research Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and colleagues randomly selected 1449 people aged 65-79 who had been surveyed about their leisure-time physical activity in 1972, 1977, 1982, and 1987.

The investigators re-examined the participants in 1998 and found that individuals participating in leisure-time physical activity at least twice a week had a 60% lower odds of Alzheimer’s disease compared to sedentary people ( individuals participating in physical activity less than twice a week ).

The active group had 50% lower odds of dementia compared to the sedentary group.

The researchers also found that in individuals who are genetically susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease ( carriers of the gene variant APOE-4 ), physical activity had more pronounced effects against developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in later life.

The authors state that interventions that could postpone the onset of Alzheimer’s disease even modestly would have a major public health impact, as the proportion of old people is increasing.

Source: Karolinska Institutet, 2005


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