The research, part of the long-running Framingham Heart Study, reveals the powerful link between staying active and maintaining cognitive health, especially for those over 45, even for those with a genetic predisposition to dementia.
Dementia affects millions worldwide, making it a key focus of ongoing research. While the link between exercise and improved cognitive health has long been suspected, the timing and effectiveness of physical activity throughout a person’s life remained uncertain. The new study offers a clearer picture, suggesting that midlife and late-life exercise may be particularly protective.
A Comprehensive Study with Real-World Implications
The study, published in JAMA Network, drew on data from 4,290 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-term research project that began in 1948. Participants, aged 30 and over, were followed for decades, with data collected on their physical activity, health conditions, and cognitive function. Regular evaluations over the years allowed researchers to track changes in activity levels and how these affected the risk of dementia, reports ScienceAlert.
According to the study, 13.2% of participants developed dementia over the course of the research. The findings revealed a clear pattern: those who were most active in midlife and later had a 41–45% lower chance of developing dementia compared to those who were less active.
These results were consistent even after accounting for factors such as age, education, and chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. However, exercise during early adulthood did not appear to have the same protective effect.
The Importance of Timing: Midlife and Beyond
The research also explored the impact of genetic risk, specifically the APOE ε4 allele, a genetic marker linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In midlife, increased physical activity was associated with a reduced risk of dementia only for those without the APOE ε4 allele. However, by later adulthood, exercise helped reduce the dementia risk for both carriers and non-carriers of the genetic marker.
This finding suggests that while exercise is beneficial at any age, staying active later in life may offer a particularly powerful safeguard against dementia, even for those at higher genetic risk. The results reinforce the idea that physical activity, regardless of genetic background, provides significant protection in older age.
Exercise: A Simple Yet Powerful Preventive Measure
While exercise’s cognitive benefits have been known for years, this study adds important context by pinpointing the most effective times to exercise for dementia prevention. The research emphasizes the need for public health messages encouraging physical activity, especially for those in midlife and beyond.
There are, however, some limitations to the study. Physical activity was self-reported, which may introduce bias, and the relatively rare dementia cases in the younger age groups limit conclusions about early adulthood activity. Additionally, the study’s predominantly European ancestry sample makes it difficult to generalize these findings to more diverse populations.
Even with these limitations, the takeaway is clear: regular exercise, no matter the stage of life, can have powerful benefits for the brain. As researcher Joyce Siette from Western Sydney University notes, “Move more, at any age.”