Daily Activities May Decrease Alzheimer's Risk at Any Age
Any kind of daily physical activity can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease even in people older than 80, according to a
forthcoming study from
Neurology.
Even chores like washing dishes and cooking or tasks like moving a wheelchair with your arms count as physical activity--and can help lower risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to this article on WEBMD.com.
Researchers asked 716 elderly people, who were an average age of 82 and who did not have dementia, to wear a device called an actigraph that monitors activity for 10 days. The device recorded all physical activity. Participants also took several mental tests each year to measure memory and thinking abilities.
After three-and-a-half years, 71 people developed Alzheimer's disease. Those in the bottom 10 percent for daily physical activity were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease as those in the top 10 percent, the study shows.