HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Older people who have memory and thinking problems may get a slight benefit from exercise, a new study suggests.
People who exercised showed some improvement on a test of thinking and memory skills compared with those who didn’t exercise, the Canadian researchers found.
“We found that three times a week of moderate intense aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, significantly improved cognitive function in older adults with impaired cognitive function due to disease affecting the small blood vessels in the brain,” said lead researcher Teresa Liu-Ambrose. She’s an associate professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
The people in the study had mental decline caused by narrowing of blood vessels in the brain, which is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, Liu-Ambrose said.
Although the improvement in mental function was modest, it was similar to that seen in studies that tested drugs for people with the same problem, Liu-Ambrose said. “However, the difference was less than what is considered to be the minimal clinically important difference,” she said.
“While future studies are needed to replicate and confirm our results, given the well-established benefits of exercise as well as the fact there are few treatment options available for people with this condition, aerobic exercise appears to be a sensible treatment option with minimal side effects and cost,” she added.
For the study, Liu-Ambrose and her colleagues worked with 70 people, average age 74, who had “slight” thinking and memory problems.
Half the participants took part in one-hour exercise classes three times a week for six months. The other half received information about mental decline and a healthy diet, but no information about physical activity.
The participants were tested at the start and finish of the study, and again six months later. Tests evaluated overall thinking skills; executive function skills, such as planning and organizing; and how well they could cope with their daily activities. On one 11-point test, the study participants who exercised improved almost 2 points, the study found.
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