New studies indicate that higher leg strength early in life correlates with greater cognitive function years later. This means that greater leg strength can lower the risk of serious cognitive diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Several studies looking at the effect of aerobic exercise (exercise that increases your heart rate) in middle-aged or older adults have reported improvements in thinking and memory, and reduced rates of dementia.
Compared with people who didn't walk much at all, people who walked about 9,800 steps per day (about five miles) were 51% less likely to develop dementia.
The more exercise someone got, the less likely that person was to develop dementia. But it wasn't only the active or highly active participants who saw a reduction in dementia risk. Even people in the insufficiently active category still had a lower risk for dementia than the people who were inactive.
The research shows that using the legs, particularly in weight-bearing exercise, sends signals to the brain that are vital for the production of healthy neural cells, essential for the brain and nervous system.
While the brain directs all muscle movements in the body, in the large leg muscles, weight-bearing exercise is crucial for the production of healthy, mature brain cells. These cells are what keep us mentally sharp, handle stress, learn new skills and adapt to changes in our environment.
Aerobic exercise
Regular aerobic exercise boosts blood flow to your brain, and also boosts the size of your hippocampus, the part of your brain that's involved in verbal memory and learning, Small says.
It's been estimated that one in three cases of dementia is preventable. You can't do anything right now to stop or reverse the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease, but you can do something about hypertension and vascular disease risk factors.
Dementia models revealed that the p62 receptor protein can help protect the brain against dementia.
Taking at least 3,800 steps per day is linked to a lower risk of dementia, according to a recent study published online Sept. 6, 2022, by JAMA Neurology. Researchers tracked the daily steps of approximately 78,000 healthy people, average age 61, for 34 months.
Slap on a step counter and start tallying your steps – you'll need between 3,800 and 9,800 each day to reduce your risk of mental decline, according to a new study. People between the ages of 40 and 79 who took 9,826 steps per day were 50% less likely to develop dementia within seven years, the study found.
Walking around 10,000 steps a day appears to be linked to less dementia and less cardiovascular disease overall, with less heart disease, less heart failure and fewer strokes. It may significantly reduce your risk of 13 types of cancer while also lowering your risk of dementia by 50 percent.
Eating a balanced diet, exercising the mind and body regularly, having regular contact with others, and not drinking or smoking — these six “healthy lifestyle factors” were associated with better cognitive outcomes in older adults, in a large Chinese study conducted over a decade and published in the BMJ on Wednesday.
Introduction: The five-word test (5WT) is a serial verbal memory test with semantic cuing. It is proposed to rapidly evaluate memory of aging people and has previously shown its sensitivity and its specificity in identifying patients with AD.
Benefits of Reading
Those who reported engaging in intellectual activities on a regular basis such as reading books, periodicals, and newspapers, as well as playing board games, had a significantly decreased risk of developing dementia.
The main sign of mild cognitive impairment is a slight decline in mental abilities. Examples include: Memory loss: You may forget recent events or repeat the same questions and stories. You may occasionally forget the names of friends and family members or forget appointments or planned events.
Doing regular physical activity is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia. It's good for your heart, circulation, weight and mental wellbeing. You might find it difficult to start being more physically active, or worry it means doing an activity you don't enjoy.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
We all inherit a copy of some form of APOE from each parent. Those who inherit one copy of APOE-e4 from their mother or father have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's. Those who inherit two copies from their mother and father have an even higher risk, but not a certainty.
It can improve memory and reduce anxiety or depression. Regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of cognitive decline, including dementia.
Walking may reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
That brain region, called the hippocampus, typically begins to shrink in late adulthood, leading not only to impaired memory but also an increased risk of dementia. The research revealed that aerobic exercise increases the size of the hippocampus.
Exercise 3-4 times a week.
Even taking a short walk or spending some time on a stationary bike can help improve the blood circulation to your brain. Find an activity you really like doing, such as swimming, bicycling, dancing, playing a sport, or walking in the park.