Exercising the Mind & Body
Prevents Alzheimer’s & MCI
| Evelyn E. Smith MS in Library Science, University of North Texas (2012) |
Adopt a Lifelong To-do List:
- Stimulate the mind by reading and playing games of skill;
- Cut back on watching TV;
- Make and keep a support network of close friends;
- Participate in aerobic exercise for 30-minutes daily;
- Maintain a healthy, low-fat Mediterranean diet;
- Don’t smoke;
- Keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels low.
Sometimes a footnote in a Wikipedia article spurs a Boolean search for details beyond what
the original sources suggested. Thus,
while Marina Koren summarizes the findings of a 2013 Neurology article on cognitive
aging, the original published research
on this subject details how lifestyle can determine susceptibility to Alzheimer’s.
Koren, Marina. (2013, July 3). Being a lifelong bookworm may keep you sharp
in old age. Surprising Science. Smithsonian. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/being-a-lifelong-bookworm-may-keep-you-sharp-in-old-age-6786112/
Although Websites like Luminosity.com and
MyBrainTrainer promise that their brain teasers and games will enhanced memory
and attention span, researchers have determined that simply reading might
confer the same benefits (Koren, 2013, July 3, para. 2). Apparently, reading
and writing slows down cognitive decline, and those individuals who have actively
challenged themselves mentally throughout their lives show slower declines in
memory and mental acuity (Koren, 2013, July 3, para. 3).
After an almost six-year period of testing memory as
well as questioning 294 octogenarians on their reading and writing habits,
Robert S. Wilson and other researchers from the Rush University Medical Center
in Chicago confirm that reading regularly into old age reduces the rate of
cognitive decline 32 percent”, although even participating in a limited amount
of reading and writing activities proves beneficial. Conversely, those older adults who didn’t do
any reading or writing had a 48 percent faster rate of mental decline (Koren,
2013, July 3, para. 4-5). Indeed, whether or not older adults engaged in active
learning “accounted for 15 percent of the difference in memory decline beyond
what could be explained by plaque buildup” (Koren, 2013, July 3, para. 6).
Reading, for example, takes more “mental energy”
than passively watching an image on TV while writing merges new data with
already learned knowledge (Koren, 2013, July 3, para. 7). However, it’s important to start the reading
habit early, for mental dexterity peaks at age 22 (Koren, 2013, July 3, para.
7).
Turning to the original sources that most likely
occasioned Koren’s articles furnishes some left out but necessary details:
Wilson, Robert S., Boyle, Patricia, et al. (2013, July 23). Life-span cognitive activity neuropathologic
burden & cognitive aging. Neurology,
81(4), 314-321. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31829c5e8a [Abstract]. Retrieved from http://www.neurology.org/content/81/4/314
After a mean of 5.8 years of questioning and testing
“late-life” adults and adjusting for “age at death, sex, education, gross and
microscopic infarction, neocortical Lewy bodies, amyloid burden and tangle
density”, this Rush University Medical Center longitudinal study found that a
lifetime of mental activity slows cognitive decline (Abstract).
Wilson,
R. S., Scherer, P. A., et al. (2007).
Relation of cognitive activity to risk of developing Alzheimer disease. Neurology, 69, 1911-1920. Retrieved from
The Rush Memory and Aging Project has examined the relation of cognitive
activity to the development of Alzheimer’s since contemporary prospective studies
have already established that mentally active older adults are less likely to
develop Alzheimer’s. Researchers,
however, have yet to determine whether
this decline in cognitive activity signifies dementia or simply reflects a lack of cognitive activity and socioeconomic
advantages earlier in life (Wilson, 2007, p. 1911).
Thus, starting in 1997, researchers coupled yearly
clinical evaluations, including a battery of 20 cognitive tests, a questionnaire
mentioning variously types of mental activities along with their frequency
(regularly, once a year, or everyday) and brain autopsies to determine whether
exercising the mind could be linked with a less likely chance of developing
Alzheimer’s, but if it also might deter its onset. Mental activities included such options as
reading a newspaper, playing games like chess or checkers, visiting a library,
and attending a play (Wilson, 2007, p. 1912). Additionally, the study adapted the 1985 Health Interview Survey to
determine if participants regularly exercised.
For instance, they asked if they had walked during the last two weeks
(Wilson, 2007, p. 1913). Finally,
researchers also used data from the 1920 census to determine the education of
the participants’ mothers and dads as well as their father’s occupation
(Wilson, 2007, p. 1913).
With a few exceptions, the more mentally and
physically active the participants were both in the past as well as in the
present enjoyed both a higher socioeconomic status and better cognitive
functioning (Wilson, 2007, p. 1914).
Additionally, researchers associated mental ability with a less rapid
rate of cognitive decline (Wilson, 2007, p. 1915). Finally, while regularly taking part or
abstaining from brain-stretching pastimes predicted the development of mild
cognitive Impairment, MCI didn’t necessarily predict a decline in pastimes that
required reasoning and thinking skills (Wilson, 2007m p. 1917).
Similarly, even a popular tabloid article can serve
as an effective search tool that directs the reader to documented references
that correlate mental stagnation with dementia. However, even the
Daily Mail admits that exercising the mind also needs to be only one healthy
life style choice that can help prevent dementia:
Hope, Jenny. (2012, January 13). A life of brain-teasing could beat Alzheimer’s
with reading, writing, and puzzles.
Health. Daily Mail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2090848/A-life-brain-teasing-beat-Alzheimers-disease-reading-writing-puzzles.html
The findings of a University of California,
Berkeley, study suggest that lifetime learning
and intellectual stimulation reduces the levels of beta amyloid protein,
a plaque found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients (Hope, 2013 January 13,
para. 1-3). Researchers used PET scans and attached radio-active iodine tags to protein in 65
healthy 65-year-old volunteers and then compared the amount of beta amyloid protein in
their brains with the brains of their Alzheimer Disease peers as well as a very
small sampling of 25-year-old controls culled
from the University of California, Berkeley, and its surrounding area whereupon
they found that the 65-year-olds with the highest level of brain activity matched
the beta amyloid protein levels of the 25-year-old control group while those
with the least amount of brain activity had amyloid plaque levels similar to
those diagnosed with dementia (Hope, 2013, January 13, para. 7-13).
Even so, University of California, Berkeley
researcher Susan Landau cautioned that “cognitive activity is just one
component of a complex set of lifestyle practices linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
risk” (Hope, 2012, January 13, para. 11). Furthermore, Anne Corbett of the British Alzheimer’s
Society added a disclaimer that this study involved only a very small number of
individuals, and it didn’t furnish a follow-up study to determine whether the
65-year old volunteers went on to develop dementia (Hope, 2013, January 13,
para. 14-15).
Corbett then encouraged
older adults not only by continuing to stretch their minds by reading, writing,
and playing games but to also cut their risk of Alzheimer’s by exercising regularly,
adhering to a low-fat diet, not smoking, and keeping their blood pressures and
cholesterol in check (Hope, 2013, January 13, para. 16-17).'
Landau, Susan M. Marks, Shawn M., et al. (2012, May).
Association of lifetime cognitive engagement and low β-Amyloid deposition. Archives
of Neurology, 65(5), 823-629.
Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3747737/
Taking part in “cognitively stimulating activities”
in early and mid- life correlates with lower levels of beta amyloid deposits throughout
the brain cortex, although 20 to 30 percent of the cognitively-healthy controls
showed significant levels of beta amyloid (Landau, 2012, May, para. 3). Similarly, those who are most likely to
mentally challenge themselves are most likely influenced by other occupational,
social, or recreational factors (Landau, 2012, May, para. 5). The study then determined the frequency of
such behaviors as reading books and newspapers, composing letters or e-mails,
visiting the library, or playing games on a five-point scale, and participants
also completed a physical activities interview wherein they listed all leisure
exercise activities, including cycling, walking, dancing and yoga (Landau,
2012, May, para. 7 & 9).
Healthy older controls also completely an extensive neuro-psychological
battery as well as subjectively rating their memory and mental functions with
others their age. All participants
additionally underwent a high-resolution structural MCI brain scan (Landau,
2012, May, para. 10-12).
Researchers subsequently concluded that
participating in stimulating cognitive activities early in life and into middle
age correlated with lower accumulations of beta amyloid plaque and that
increased cognitive activity also reduced amyloid beta plaque levels before the
onset of dementia (Landau, 2012, May para. 32-33).
Accordingly, similar articles stress that exercising
the mind is just one of the activities on a long “to-do list” that might help prevent
or delay Alzheimer’s, including daily performing 30 minutes of aerobic
exercise, maintaining a healthy low-fat
diet, not smoking, and keeping blood pressure and cholesterol low.
| Taking a brisk 30-minute walk helps keep the mind active as well. |
Nordqvist, Christian. (2013, July 13). How to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and
dementia. Medical News Today. Retrieved
from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/263769.php
If senior adults and their families could read only
one article on preventing Alzheimer’s this is the article to read since Christian
Nordqvist has summarized a series of articles on its prevention along with providing
URL links to the original articles. This
balanced approach argues that lifestyle choices prevent or delay Alzheimer’s,
including not only staying mentally and physically active, but also maintaining
a healthy well-balanced diet, preventing cardiovascular health, and not
smoking, lessen the chance of developing Alzheimer’s by 50 percent (2013, July
13, para. 1-3).
That means keeping physically and mentally active
for as long as possible to reduce the chance of Alzheimer’s. Thus, retiring later, being (or becoming)
bilingual, and keeping the brain active through mental exercise throughout life
delay or avert dementia (Nordqvist, 2013 July 13, para. 32-41).
But keeping mentally active isn’t the only strategy necessary to
inhibit Alzheimer’s since individuals must also regularly participate in
aerobic exercise, restrict caloric intake, and follow a healthy Mediterranean diet
because as Nordqvist suggests, “What’s good for the heart is good for the brain”,
for 80 percent of brain autopsies of patients with Alzheimer’s disease also
showed evidence of cardiovascular disease (2013, July 13, para. 6-9).
Accordingly, high cholesterol disease and metabolic
syndrome—a deadly combination of obesity, high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, and high blood pressure—put women at risk not only for stroke,
heart disease, and diabetes, but also for Alzheimer Disease (Nordqvist, 2013,
July 13, para. 8-10). What’s more, obesity
in old age impairs cognitive function in men while obesity in middle age in
both genders also raises the risk of Alzheimer’s later in life as does diabetes
(Nordqvist, 2013 July 13, para. 11-13).
However, a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil,
fruits, vegetables, legumes, and a moderate amount of seafood protects against
vascular disease. This diet high in Omega-3 fatty acid and vitamins C, B, D,
and E improves mental functioning since eating broiled or baked fish at least
once weekly preserves the brain’s gray matter (Nordqvist, 2013, July 13, para.
17-18). By way of contrast, adults over age 70 who consume over 2,100 calories
daily are 50 percent more likely to develop dementia (Nordqvist, 2013, July 13,
para. 17).
Researchers at the Cooper Institute in Dallas,
Texas, also have shown that individuals who regularly perform aerobic exercise
throughout their lives, starting with the mothers’ exercise while their babies
are still in the womb, are less likely to develop dementia, although even a
brief spurt of intense exercise boosts memory, late-life exercise decreases the
risk of Alzheimer’s, and daily moderate exercise over a 12-month period reverses
hippocampus shrinkage (Nordqvist, 2013, July 13, para 19-30).
Moreover, getting enough REM sleep influences how
the brain functions as well as the sleeper’s susceptibility to Alzheimer’s
since research associates lack of sleep with a buildup of amyloid plaques
(Nordqvist, 2013, July 13, para. 42-45).
Finally, heavy smoking in males significantly raises
the risk of Alzheimer’s, but the medically supervised use of nicotine patches
might possibly help Mild Cognitive Impairment patients delay the onset of
Alzheimer’s (Nordqvist, 2013, Jul 13, para. 50-53).
Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease: What do we know? (2012, September). Alzheimer’s Disease
Education and Referral Center. (Updated 2014, March 24). National Institute on Aging. Retrieved from http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/preventing-alzheimers-disease/search-alzheimers-prevention-strategies
The National Institute on Aging takes a holistic
approach similar to Nordqvist’s except that it includes “social engagement”
along with “intellectual stimulation” as factors that correlate with a lower
risk of Alzheimer’s, noting that longitudinal studies in religious communities
of priests and nuns show a relationship between everyday social interaction and
regular cognitive activity (National Institute on Aging, 2012, September, para.
27-29). Moreover, the National Institute
on Aging notes that even less formally educated older adults perform as well as
their university educated peers on mental tests if they regularly either read,
do crossword puzzles, or write letters, although cognitive training as found on
Websites like Luminosity can possibly be beneficial (2012, September, para.
30-31).
Daily aerobic exercise also has its benefits. For instance, studies of older rats and mice
show that exercise increases the number of small blood cells that supply blood
to the brain as well as the number of connections available between never cells. Moreover in a year-long study that compared
aerobic exercise with walking 40 minutes daily found that walkers had improved
their brain’s connectivity and executive functions more than those who only exercised (National Institute on Aging,
2012, September, para. 11-12).
| Baked or broiled fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids guards against dementia. |
Adhering to a Mediterranean Diet may lower the risk
of Mild Cognitive Impairment 28 percent and diminish the chance of Alzheimer’s
48 percent while a weekly serving of fish high in Omega 3 fatty acid decreases
the risk of Alzheimer’s, although it doesn’t improve the cognitive functioning
of those already diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment and/or Alzheimer’s. As expected, rats fed a diet high in
saturated fats and carbohydrates also performed much worse on memory tests than
those fed a low-fat diet (National Institute on Aging, 2012, September, para.
14-16). Observational studies additionally show that
cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes
all greatly increase the chance of developing MCI and Alzheimer’s (National
Institute on Aging, 2012, September para. 12-17).
___________
The links furnished on this Web page represent the opinions of their authors, so they complement—not substitute—for a physician’s advice.
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