Brains Gain From Physical Activity by Older People

26 July 2011

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Increasing evidence suggests that being active can reduce a person's risk of dementia. Dementia is the name for the effects of Alzheimer's disease, stroke and other brain disorders.

People may be considered to have dementia if they lose abilities in two or more areas such as memory and language skills. Other signs of dementia include a loss of ability to think clearly or control emotions.

The World Health Organization says about thirty-five million people worldwide are living with dementia.

Most studies of exercise and dementia depend on self-reporting -- asking people to report their levels of physical activity. Laura Middleton is a researcher at the Sunnybrook Research Institute and the University of Waterloo in Canada. She says there are problems with self-reporting.

LAURA MIDDLETON: “It does a very good job of capturing jogging, or biking or tennis but does a relatively poor job of capturing low-intensity activity like walking or daily chores, which may also be important to the risk of cognitive impairment.”

A new study finds a strong relationship between activity energy expenditure and the risk of cognitive impairment.

So, Professor Middleton led a team in a new study to measure activity levels scientifically. The study lasted five years. Almost two hundred people took part. Their average age was seventy-five.