December 4, 2024
Learning you have Alzheimer’s can be a devastating experience. But it doesn’t mean you should stop exercising — or that you can’t start a new exercise program if you haven’t been physically active. A new study found that exercising after a diagnosis of dementia can significantly reduce the risk of dying prematurely from any cause.
It didn’t matter how intense the exercise was. Any kind of exercise, whether gentle walking or an intense cycling class several days a week, lowered the risk of dying early by 20 percent or more. People who exercised before learning about their diagnosis and who continued to exercise afterward showed the greatest survival benefits. But people who took up exercise after learning about their diagnosis also significantly lowered their risk of premature death.
For the study, researchers analyzed health records from of 60,252 older men and women in South Korea who were part of the Korean National Health Insurance Service Database. All had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia between 2010 and 2016. Their mean age was 74.
Participants underwent medical exams before and after their dementia diagnosis. They also completed questionnaires about their typical exercise habits before and after the diagnosis, and whether the exercise was light, moderate or vigorous.
The researchers followed them for an average of 3.7 years. During that time, more than a quarter of them had died.
The researchers found that those who exercised regularly after a dementia diagnosis were less likely to have died than those who didn’t exercise. They defined regular exercise as engaging in vigorous physical activity for at least 20 minutes at least three times a week, or engaging in moderate physical activity for 30 minutes or more at least five times weekly.
Overall, the more vigorous and prolonged the exercise, the lower the risk of dying. But even light exercise led to notable benefits.
Those men and women who remained physically active before and after a dementia diagnosis showed the greatest survival benefits, cutting their risk of premature death by 29 percent. It didn’t matter whether the dementia was Alzheimer’s disease or another form of the illness. Any form or intensity of exercise boosted survival.
“As dementia cannot be reversed with any medications, a nonpharmacologic approach, such as lifestyle modification, is considered important to modify the progression of dementia,” the authors wrote. “Our study has important public health implications, highlighting the significance of continuous engagement in regular physical activity both before and after the diagnosis of dementia among individuals with all dementia subtypes. Reducing sedentary behavior and promoting engaging in physical activity of any intensity could be recommended for patients with dementia.” The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The study showed only an association and cannot prove cause and effect. But other studies have shown the clear benefits of exercise in lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or delaying its onset. This study adds to the evidence that exercise at any age has benefits, even in those with dementia.
Experts say that people with Alzheimer’s need to stay active and do things they enjoy, though pursuing activities they used to do becomes more challenging as the disease progresses. Caregivers can help by encouraging continued activity or facilitating new activities.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) offers tips for adapting activities for people with Alzheimer’s:
- Match the activity with what the person with Alzheimer’s can do.
- Choose activities that can be fun for everyone.
- Help the person get started with the activity.
- Decide if they can do the activity alone or need help.
- Watch to see if the person gets frustrated.
- Make sure they feel successful and have fun.
- Let them simply watch if they seem to enjoy that more.
Forms of physical activity the NIA and other experts recommend include:
- Take a walk together, or take the dog for a walk.
- Use a stationary bike.
- Try tai chi, chair yoga or another exercise class at the gym or senior center.
- Throw a foam ball or balloon back and forth.
- Lift weights or household items like soup cans.
- Follow along with exercise videos or programs for older adults.
- Sing or dance to well-known songs.
- Sort and fold laundry, sweep, sort recycling, or do other household chores,
- Tend to indoor or outdoor plants or gardens.
By ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site. Reviewed by Eric Schmidt, Ph.D. Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at The Rockefeller University.
Source: Kye-Yeung Park, Youn Huh, Ga Eun Nam, et al: “Changes in physical activity and all-cause mortality among individuals with dementia: a cohort study using the National Health Insurance Service Database in Korea.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, November 12, 2024
