Dementia Breakthrough: Combining This With Physical Exercises Can Lower Your Risk Of Cognitive Decline

With more than 50 million sufferers throughout the world, dementia is one of the major reasons for dependency and disability among the older population.

Since the brain condition cannot be prevented, studies suggested that engaging in mentally stimulating activities can slow down or improve cognitive decline and reduce one’s risk of developing the condition in the first place.

A recent study suggested that early lifestyle interventions, especially an alternative exercise, might be promising in reducing dementia risk.

An interactive gaming experience might improve mild cognitive impairment. A 2018 study published in the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience reported that an activity known as exergaming, which includes video games alongside physical exercise, improved mild cognitive impairment symptoms, such as memory skills and complex thinking.

The researchers sought to find out if the cognitive benefit can be maximized by increasing the degree of the mental challenge during physical activity.

The study participants were randomly assigned to the following groups for 6 months: 1) Physical exercise interactive with relatively passive, low cognitive videogame; 2) Physical exercise interactive with a relatively effortful, high cognitive videogame; and 3) No physical exercise and only a videogame operated by a joystick or keyboard.

They, then, conducted cognitive function tests at the end of six months. The findings revealed that interactive physical and cognitive exercises -- both high and low challenge -- fetched similar significant cognitive benefit for adherent screening criteria for mild cognitive impairment. Clinical trials are needed to develop accessible and effective interventions to combat cognitive decline in the aging population.

“In the next 30 years, the number of people with dementia is expected to triple,” the World Health Organization quoted Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We need to do everything we can to reduce our risk of dementia. The scientific evidence gathered for these Guidelines confirms what we have suspected for some time, that what is good for our heart, is also good for our brain," he went on.

Dementia is rapidly growing and this public health condition seems to be affecting more than 50 million people worldwide. It also inflicts a heavy economic burden on societies. Experts suggested that following a heart-healthy diet can be one of the other ways to reduce your risk of developing dementia.