Reduce Risk Of Developing Dementia By Performing These Exercises

Dementia is a lifelong and progressive disorder characterized by the deterioration of cognitive function beyond what is supposed to happen as a result of the aging process. The ailment affects your thought processes, memory, orientation, calculation, comprehension, the capacity to learn, and ability to make a sound judgment. In many instances, it may also affect how you speak.

The weakening of the cognitive function is typically accompanied by the deterioration in social behavior, motivation, and emotional control. With the sudden and steep climb of dementia cases, there is a need to look for ways to reduce your risk of developing the ailment. Fortunately, studies have pinpointed a particular exercise that can help minimize your risk of dementia.

The Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation revealed that performing physical exercise regularly can greatly minimize your risk of developing Alzheimer’s by as much as 50%. The organization also stated that exercise could delay the deterioration of cognitive functions in those who are already showing signs of the ailment.

Exercising can protect against many types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, by stimulating the ability of your brain to preserve old connections and create new ones. Walking has been proven to delay the progression of dementia because it enhances your cerebral blood flow. It also reduces your risk of developing vascular dementia.

The study’s findings, which were published in the medical journal Neurology, revealed that exercising helps in delaying some of the worst effects of aging for both mind and body. This latest study monitored the exercise practices of 749 women and men in Italy. They were aged over 65 and were all in good health, with no signs of having memory problems at the start of the study.

After four years, researchers found that those who are frequent walkers were at a 27% lower risk of developing vascular dementia compared to those who walked the least. Researchers were also able to establish that physical activity does not have to be strenuous and excruciating to enjoy the benefits.

A moderate and easy-to-do physical activity like walking can help you earn the same cognitive benefits as many other demanding activities. This is according to Dr. Giovanni Ravaglia, a fellow at the University Hospital S. Orsola Malpighi in Bologna, Italy, and the author of the study.

Another study, the findings of which were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, strengthened the findings of Dr. Ravaglia. This other study, which involved over 1,700 adults over 65 years old, has proven that regular walkers enjoy a considerable reduction in the risk of developing dementia.