Aerobic Exercise May Help Slow Memory Loss For Older Adults

Aerobic exercise may help slow memory loss for older adults living with Alzheimer's dementia, says new research. The findings indicate that a six-month aerobic exercise intervention significantly reduced cognitive decline in comparison to the natural course of changes for Alzheimer's dementia. However, the researchers didn't find a superior effect of aerobic exercise on stretching.

"Exercise has a low profile of adverse events in older adults with Alzheimer's dementia as demonstrated by our trial," said researcher Fang Yu from the Arizona State University. "Regardless of its effect on cognition, the current collective evidence on its benefits supports the use of aerobic exercise as an additional therapy for Alzheimer's disease," Yu added.

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For the study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the research team included 96 older adults living with mild to moderate Alzheimer's dementia for a pilot randomized control trial. Participants were randomized to either cycling (stationary bike) or stretching intervention for six months. Using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognition (ADAS-Cog) to assess cognition, the results of the trial were substantial.

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The researchers said that their results are encouraging and support the clinical relevance of promoting aerobic exercise in individuals with Alzheimer's dementia to maintain cognition. (IANS/SP)