Seniors, slip on your shoes because walking five
miles a week may help slow the progression of cognitive illnesses such
as Alzheimer’s disease, according to research presented at the
Radiological Society of North America and reported by HealthDay News.
For the study, researchers analyzed the data
from an ongoing 20-year study of the weekly walking patterns of 426
adults. Of those participants (whose average age was between 78 and
81), 127 were cognitively impaired. Specifically, 83 had mild cognitive
impairment (MCI), and 44 had Alzheimer’s.
After 10 years of
the study, all participants underwent 3-D MRI scans to assess brain
volumes and mini-mental-state exams to measure their cognitive
functions.
Researchers found, after accounting for age,
gender, body-fat composition, head size and education, that more
physically active individuals had a larger brain volume compared with
less active people. (The greater the brain volume the lower the degree
of brain cell death and the better the brain health.)
Researchers
also found that walking about five miles a week protected against
further cognitive decline in patients already suffering from
impairments.
“Alzheimer’s is a devastating illness, and
unfortunately, walking is not a cure,” said Cyrus Raji, PhD, from the
University of Pittsburgh. “But walking can improve your brain’s
resistance to the disease and reduce memory loss over time.”
But until the study’s findings are published in a peer-reviewed journal, scientists view them as preliminary.
In
general, doctors recommend that people of all ages stay physically
active. And although exercise is one way to fight Alzheimer’s, there
are others.
