Exercise & Alzheimer’s Prevention

A post from our neighboring practitioners, Fitness Matters:

Earlier is better...

“Earlier is better” has become a mantra in the field of Alzheimer’s disease. Experts are targeting the prevention or delay of memory decline more, instead of just focusing on treating patients who have the disease.

A recent trial found that intervention involving exercise, diet and other behavioral changes significantly improved overall cognitive functioning in patients after two years, compared with patients in a control group.

The number of Alzheimer’s sufferers in the U.S. is expected to roughly triple between 2010 and 2050, growing to 13.5 million in 2050 from 5.1 million in 2010. If the disease could be delayed by just five years, the number of people with Alzheimer’s at age 65 in 2050 could be reduced by nearly six million people, according to a report published by the Alzheimer’s Association in 2010.

Globally, one-third of Alzheimer’s disease is related to risk factors that can be potentially changed, such as lack of education and exercise, according to a recent study published in the journal Lancet Neurology.