A study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) of the La Caixa Foundation and the BarcelonaBeta Brain Research Center (Bbrc) of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation has revealed that an increase in physical activity between the ages of 45 and 65 could help prevent Alzheimer’s, while inactivity could be detrimental to brain health.
The article, published in the journal ‘Alzheimer’s & Dementia’, emphasizes the need to promote physical activity among middle-aged adults, as reported by ISGlobal in a statement this Tuesday.
It is estimated that 13% of Alzheimer’s cases worldwide can be attributed to physical inactivity; in fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity –or 75 to 150 minutes of intense activity– per week.
While it has been «widely» researched how exercise reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s by improving cardiovascular and mental health, recent studies suggest that physical activity can have a direct impact on the development of brain pathologies related to the disease.
MIDDLE-AGED CATALANS WITH FAMILY HISTORY
The study involved 337 people from the Alfa longitudinal cohort, part of the Alzheimer’s and Families (Alfa) study at Bbrc, supported by the La Caixa Foundation.
ISGlobal doctoral researcher and Bbrc first author Müge Akinci explained that they followed middle-aged residents in Catalonia with a family history of Alzheimer’s for 4 years.
Physical activity questionnaires were conducted to assess changes in activity over a 4-year period, and neuroimaging tests were performed to analyze the effects of exercise on brain structure and function.
Participants were classified as adherent –meeting WHO recommendations–, non-adherent –engaging in less physical activity than recommended–, and sedentary –no physical activity per week–.
BETA-AMYLOID
Beta-amyloid is a protein that can hinder neuronal communication if it accumulates in the brain, and it is considered the first pathological event of Alzheimer’s disease.
Participants who increased their physical activity to meet WHO recommended levels showed less beta-amyloid accumulation compared to those who maintained a sedentary lifestyle or reduced their physical activity.
Additionally, it appears to be dose-dependent: the greater the increase in activity, the greater the reduction in amyloid burden.
Non-sedentary participants also exhibited greater cortical thickness –key for memory and whose thinning is an early sign of neurodegeneration– in brain regions related to Alzheimer’s disease.
«Even those who engaged in less physical activity than recommended showed greater cortical thickness than sedentary individuals, suggesting that any level of movement, no matter how minimal, provides health benefits,» Akinci points out.
MORE EXERCISE
The research team studied both the increase in physical activity and adherence to WHO recommendations, and observed that the benefits of physical activity seem to be related to increasing exercise over time rather than meeting a specific activity threshold.
ISGlobal researcher and study lead Eider Arenaza-Urquijo emphasizes that the results reinforce the importance of promoting exercise in middle age as a «public health strategy» for Alzheimer’s prevention.
Interventions aimed at promoting increased physical activity could be «key» to reducing the incidence of the disease in the future, concludes Arenaza-Urquijo.