Low Fitness Raises Alzheimer’s Risk

Mounting evidence suggests a preventive value for physical activity in the preservation of cognitive functions with age.  Jenni Kulmala, from the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland), and colleagues assessed data collected on 3,559 men and women, average age 50 years at the study’s start, enrolled in the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) study.  The data revealed that among people in their 50s, those who self-rate their level of fitness as poor were four times more likely to develop dementia within 30 years than those who say they have a good level of fitness.  Further, the team found that the link between poor self-assessment of physical fitness and dementia was strongest among people with chronic illnesses and those who did not carry the APOE4 gene (which is thought to associate with dementia).  The study authors warn that: “Perceived poor physical fitness reflects a combination of biological and lifestyle-related factors that can increase dementia risk.”