Keep Alzheimer's Away By 'Snacking' On Exercise, Study Suggests

Once again, experts have stressed on the importance of changing one’s lifestyle to keep Alzheimer's disease away. This time, it is about including exercise in the daily routine. Physical activities are believed to play bigger roles in preventing memory loss.

A study, published in the JAMA Neurology journal on Tuesday, stated that even a modest level of physical activity can be beneficial for an individual. That means "snacking" on exercise or dedicating at least three to four minutes a day can reduce the risk of this aggressive form of dementia.

Nearly six million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer's and there is no cure or drug to prevent this illness. The only way to prevent this disease is to bring in simple changes in the lifestyle, like dedicating some time for physical activities.

The study done by a group of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) explains the new way of keeping this disorder away.

“Because there are currently no disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease, there is a critical need to identify potential risk-altering factors that might delay progression of the disease,” lead researcher Jasmeer Chhatwal said in a statement.

For the research, scientists observed the daily routine of more than 180 adults in a clinical setting and they found that physically active people had reduced risk of developing this aggressive form of dementia.

“Beneficial effects were seen at even modest levels of physical activity, but were most prominent at around 8,900 steps, which is only slightly less than the 10,000 many of us strive to achieve daily,” co-author Reisa Sperling said.

The research stated that lowering vascular risk factors, such as diabetes and high level of cholesterol, is likely to delay the progression of Alzheimer's. It may also provide additional protection against this devastating disease.

“One of the most striking findings from our study was that greater physical activity not only appeared to have positive effects on slowing cognitive decline, but also on slowing the rate of brain tissue loss over time in normal people who had high levels of amyloid plaque in the brain,” Chhatwal said.

The study also stated that physical activity can reduce the amount of a protein fragment called b-amyloid (Ab) accumulated in the brain at the early stages of this devastating illness. The study is expected to help the doctors diagnose it with the first signs of disease.

“Beta amyloid and tau protein build-up certainly set the stage for cognitive impairment in later age, but we shouldn't forget that there are steps we can take now to reduce the risk going forward - even in people with build-up of these proteins. Alzheimer's disease and the emergence of cognitive decline is multifactorial and demands a multifactorial approach if we hope to change its trajectory,” Chhatwal explained.