Midlife Physical Activity Associated With Better Cognition in Old Age

Summary: A new study reports those who participate in physical activity during middle age showed better cognitive function later in life.

Source: University of Helsinki.

A new study of 3050 twins finds moderately vigorous physical activity – i.e., more strenuous than walking – to be associated with better cognition in a 25-year follow-up.

A long-term follow-up study of 3050 twins from the Finnish Twin Cohort has shown that midlife, moderately vigorous physical activity is associated with better cognition at old age. The association was statistically independent of midlife hypertension, smoking, education level, sex, obesity and binge drinking. “This suggests that the beneficial influence of physical activity on the brain and cognition is not solely based on decreasing vascular risk factors”, says researcher Paula Iso-Markku from the University of Helsinki.

The association was studied first in all individuals of the cohort, and then by comparing later cognition in pairs where one twin was more physically active than the other.

Increasing the volume of physical activity was not, however, associated with increased memory-protecting benefits. Instead, quite a moderate amount of physical activity was found to be sufficient for memory-protecting benefits, and only the most inactive group of twins stood out with a significantly higher risk for cognitive impairment.

“Overall, the study shows that moderately vigorous physical activity, meaning more strenuous than walking, is associated with better cognition after an average of 25 years”, states Professor Urho Kujala from the University of Jyväskylä. “This finding is in accordance with earlier animal model studies, which have shown that physical activity increases the amount of growth factors in the brain and improves synaptic plasticity.”

The prevalence of dementia has increased with aging populations both in Finland and globally. Although the incidence of dementia seems to have decreased in less senior generations, the total prevalence of dementia is still expected to rise. No cure for dementia exists, but during the last decade research has produced an abundance of new information on dementia prevention. The traditional vascular risk factors (elevated blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, diabetes and lack of exercise) have also been associated with dementia risk.

Image shows a man jogging.
Increasing the volume of physical activity was not, however, associated with increased memory-protecting benefits. Instead, quite a moderate amount of physical activity was found to be sufficient for memory-protecting benefits, and only the most inactive group of twins stood out with a significantly higher risk for cognitive impairment. NeuroscienceNews.com image is for illustrative purposes only.

“However, few long-term, high-quality, follow-up studies on physical activity and cognition have been published, and it has remained unclear what type and amount of exercise is needed to safeguard cognition”, Iso-Markku says.

The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, was conducted by scientists at the universities of Helsinki, Jyväskylä and Turku. The twins provided information on physical activity through questionnaire surveys from 1975 and 1981 (mean age in 1981: 49 years), while cognition was assessed by validated telephone interviews conducted between 1999 and 2015.

About this aging research article

Source: Kara Gavin – University of Helsinki
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Abstract for “Midlife Physical Activity and Cognition Later in Life: A Prospective Twin Study” by Iso-Markku P, Waller K, Vuoksimaa E, Heikkilä K, Rinne J, Kaprio J, and Kujala UM in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Published online September 2 2016 doi:10.3233/JAD-160377

Cite This NeuroscienceNews.com Article

[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]University of Helsinki. “Midlife Physical Activity Associated With Better Cognition in Old Age.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 8 September 2016.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/aging-cognition-exercise-5012/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]University of Helsinki. (2016, September 8). Midlife Physical Activity Associated With Better Cognition in Old Age. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved September 8, 2016 from https://neurosciencenews.com/aging-cognition-exercise-5012/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]University of Helsinki. “Midlife Physical Activity Associated With Better Cognition in Old Age.” https://neurosciencenews.com/aging-cognition-exercise-5012/ (accessed September 8, 2016).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]

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Abstract

Midlife Physical Activity and Cognition Later in Life: A Prospective Twin Study

Background: Physical activity has been associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline but the nature of this association remains obscure.

Objective: To study associations between midlife physical activity and cognition in old age for a prospective cohort of Finnish twins.

Methods:
Physical activity in the Finnish Twin Cohort was assessed using questionnaire responses collected in 1975 and 1981. After a mean follow-up of 25.1 years, the subjects’ (n = 3050; mean age 74.2; range 66–97) cognition was evaluated with a validated telephone interview. Both participation in vigorous physical activity, and the volume of physical activity, divided into quintiles, were used as predictors of cognitive impairment. Metrics collected by TELE were used to categorize participants as: cognitively impaired, suffering mild cognitive impairment, or cognitively healthy.

Results: Participation in vigorous physical activity compared to non-participation for both 1975 and 1981 was associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment in individual-based analyses (fully adjusted OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.35–0.73). Pairwise analyses yielded similar but statistically non-significant associations. In terms of the volume of physical activity, the most active quintile of individuals (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.46–1.04) had a reduced risk of cognitive decline compared with the most sedentary quintile in the fully adjusted model although no clear dose-response was found.

Conclusion: Vigorous midlife physical activity was associated with less cognitive impairment but without a clear dose-response association between the volume of physical activity and cognition.

“Midlife Physical Activity and Cognition Later in Life: A Prospective Twin Study” by Iso-Markku P, Waller K, Vuoksimaa E, Heikkilä K, Rinne J, Kaprio J, and Kujala UM in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Published online September 2 2016 doi:10.3233/JAD-160377

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