Study: stay fit to prevent Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s and other dementias affect more than 740,000 Canadians, and unfortunately, science has not yet found a cure for the debilitating disease. The absence of an effective treatment puts even greater emphasis on the importance of prevention, and recent research shows that runners are already giving themselves a leg-up. According to a new study, having good cardiorespiratory fitness can significantly lower your risk for Alzheimer’s and other related diseases.

Cardiorespiratory fitness and Alzheimer’s disease

The researchers of the study, published by the American Academy of Neurology, identified 649,605 veterans who had completed an exercise treadmill test to assess their cardiorespiratory fitness. They found that the participants with the highest levels of fitness developed 33 per cent less Alzheimer’s over the course of 8.8 years compared to the lowest-fit group.

While scientists still don’t know a lot about why or how fitness is related to Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions, this data supports physical activity, and more specifically, cardiorespiratory activities like running, swimming and cycling, as an effective way to reduce your risk for degenerative brain diseases.

The good news is, other research shows that even just a 10-minute run can elicit positive effects on your brain, so you don’t have to run marathons to get the brain-boosting benefits of running (although marathon running is great for your brain, too). So whether you’re a beginner runner or a veteran of the sport, you can add Alzheimer’s prevention to the ever-growing list of reasons to be a runner.