A new study finds that even moderate amounts of regular exercise can help delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in seniors and reduce the chances that a person will get them at all.
The study examined 1,700 men and women over the age of 65 who had no signs of dementia or cognitive problems. The exercise patterns of these individuals were then recorded and compared over a six-year period. The volunteers were given frequent tests to detect the onset of any symptoms of dementia. In six years, 158 of the volunteers developed some form of dementia.
When the researchers examined the results, they found that those seniors who did even just 15 minutes of light exercise per day reduced their chances of developing dementia by as much as 30 to 40 percent. Even light exercise such as walking seemed to provide the benefit when done regularly.
The results of the study were published in the journal 'Annals of Internal Medicine.'
'We don't know if exercise makes the disease go away,' Eric Larson of the Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies.
and the leader of the study told 'USA Today.' While admitting the study is not conclusive, Larson said, 'this is the best evidence you're going to get short of a clinical trial.'
Larson added, 'This is not a pill you have to take. This is something you can do every day at virtually no cost.'
It seems exercise is just as good for the mind as it is for the body.
