By 2030, medical experts say the number of people worldwide suffering from Alzheimer’s will be 80 million. However, a recently released study says that physical activity on a daily basis might provide a good chance of warding off the debilitating degenerative disorder. Even for those 80 years or older, the daily activity will be beneficial.
Researchers said that breaking a sweat was not necessary to receive the protective effects from activity. Cleaning and cooking are simple activities that have protective benefits.
For the study, researchers studied 716 adults whose average age was 82. A device known as actigraph was used to monitor the participants for 10 days. The actigraph is worn on the non-dominant wrist of an individual and is able to measure the level of daily activity. Self-reporting was also asked of participants about their social and physical activities.
The follow-up period averaged 42 months. During that time, 71 adults developed Alzheimer’s. Research showed that participants who were part of the lowest 10 percentile in physical activity were 2.3 times more apt to develop Alzheimer’s, compared to the adults who were in the top 10 percentile of staying physically active.
The people, who were the most active of all, were 2.8 times less apt to develop Alzheimer’s than those in the bottom 10% of physical activity. The study showed that activities such as washing dishes, cooking, playing cards and operating a wheel chair were all beneficial. The results are clear and show that even minimal physical activity is beneficial.
