A study published this past July found that patients who were diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s showed significant variations when it came to the size of the brain-patients that had a high workout regimen had larger brains than the patients who had lower ones.
The study was conducted by finding 121 subjects that were sixty years of age and higher and were monitored with a fitness test by treadmill and a brain scans that looked at the white matter, grey matter, and total volume of the brain. Of the 121 participants, 57 were diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s while the rest did not have dementia
“People with early Alzheimer’s disease who were less physically fit had four times more brain shrinkage when compared to normal older adults than those who were more physically fit, suggesting less brain shrinkage related to the Alzheimer’s disease process in those with higher fitness levels,” said study author Jeffrey M. Burns, MD, of the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City and member of the American Academy of Neurology.
The results remained the same regardless of age, gender, severity of dementia, physical activity and frailty. There was no relationship between higher fitness levels and brain changes in the group of people without dementia.
“People with early Alzheimer’s disease may be able to preserve their brain function for a longer period of time by exercising regularly and potentially reducing the amount of brain volume lost. Evidence shows decreasing brain volume is tied to poorer cognitive performance, so preserving more brain volume may translate into better cognitive performance,” according to Dr. Burns
This is one of the first studies to explore the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and Alzheimer’s disease,” mentions Dr. Burns.
With all this positive news, Dr. Burns wants to make clear that people should be cautious when interpreting the study results because scientists only observed the standard measure of fitness at one point in time.
Support for this research came from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the University of Kansas Endowment Association, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Oppenheimer Foundation.
