An 85-year-old grandpa shows of his impressive vegetable gardening skills (Photo : You Tube/Cyberseniorscorner)
Alzheimer's disease is one of the most dreaded illnesses for aging individuals because it causes memory loss and cognitive problems. The illness has no cure as of this time but ongoing research for treatments revealed that physical activites such as dancing or gardening can lower the risk of having the disease.
In the recent study conducted by researchers from University of Pittsburgh and UCLA Medical Centre, it was discovered that even mild physical activities, as long as it is done regularly, can help in preventing the development of Alzheimer's disease. Likewise, with the active lifestyle, the risk is lowered by 50 percent.
The findings, which were published on March 11 in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, stated that elders who engage in active physical activities have more gray matter in major parts of their brain. These areas are responsible for cognition and memory.
It was also discovered that individuals who are already experiencing moderate cognitive impairment or had Alzheimer's disease lost fewer of these gray matter when they burned more calories by exercising.
"Any type of physical activity that burns calories - from jogging to gardening to walking to dancing - is associated with more gray matter in the brain," Healthday quoted lead researcher Dr. Cyrus Raji as saying.
James Hendrix, director of global science initiatives at the Alzheimer's Association, further said that things that are good for the heart are also good for the brain, and this includes exercising, thus, it must be a regular part of their lifestyle.
Moreover, aside from gardening and exercising, other physical activities like dancing, walking, swimming and simple raking in the garden are good enough for preventing Alzheimer's.
In any case, the researchers came up with the findings after observing the lifestyle and habits of at least 900 elderly people. They were able to see that any activity that makes the older adults move in regular basis appears to help increase the gray matter in the brain, and keeping the disease at bay.
Finally, Dr. Raji advised older people to practice an active lifestyle by engaging in activities they enjoy doing, "If you are going to do a physical activity to reduce your risk for Alzheimer's disease, choose activity that you most enjoy and comfortable doing since you are likely to do it for the rest of your life," he said.
Below is the report on the connection between physical activity and prevention of Alzheimer's disease:
