{"id":22378,"date":"2018-07-18T10:43:22","date_gmt":"2018-07-18T17:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/?p=22378"},"modified":"2021-06-10T11:47:26","modified_gmt":"2021-06-10T18:47:26","slug":"heart-brain-connection-fitness-now-protects-brain-70s-80s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/heart-brain-connection-fitness-now-protects-brain-70s-80s\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart-brain connection: Fitness now protects your brain in your 70s and 80s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stay fit today; avoid dementia tomorrow<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"It\u2019s well-known exercise plays a vital role in your physical health, and now studies propose staying fit in midlife may protect your brain as well, avoiding mental deterioration in later years.<\/p>\n

A new study, published in\u00a0Neurology<\/em><\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0that followed Swedish women for more than 40 years, \u00a0suggests one\u2019s level of\u00a0physical fitness\u00a0predicts the amount of protection from dementia decades later.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

Swedish dementia\/exercise study began 50 years ago<\/strong><\/h4>\n

At the onset of the study in 1968, 191 Swedish women ranging in age from 38 to 60 took part in a vigorous stationary cycling test to measure their exercise work capacity. Based on work capacity, women were split into low, medium, and high fitness categories. The women were followed from 1968 to 2012, and dementia diagnoses were recorded.<\/p>\n

The measurement of exercise capacity is an important aspect of the strength of this study \u2013 \u00a0it was based on the participants\u2019 actual performance rather than relying on participants\u2019 subjective reports of how much, how vigorously, and how often they exercised.<\/p>\n

Strong association between fitness and likelihood of dementia decades later<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Dementia incidence correlated with fitness level, the greater the fitness level, the less the dementia: 32 percent, 25 percent, and 5 percent of women developed dementia in the low, medium, and high fitness groups, respectively.1<\/sup>\u00a0This particular study is one of the longest, following participants for up to 44 years, but shorter studies have come to similar conclusions.2-4<\/sup><\/p>\n

Another very interesting finding: in the subset of women whose initial exercise tests had to be stopped because of issues such as excessively high blood pressure, chest pain, or an abnormal EKG change, almost half (nine out of twenty women) developed dementia. Fit women who did develop dementia did so much later in life.<\/strong>\u00a0Among the five percent of fit women who eventually developed dementia, the average age of development of dementia was eleven years later compared to the medium fitness group \u2013 age 90 vs. 79 \u2013 an extra eleven years of dementia-free life.<\/p>\n

Midlife fitness also linked to brain volume 19 years later<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In another study, the effects of midlife physical fitness on the brain were visualized with MRI. Participants at an average age of 40 performed a treadmill test to determine their exercise capacity. Lower exercise capacity at midlife was associated with smaller total cerebral brain volume 19 years later, suggesting having a higher fitness level helps prevent brain shrinkage with age.5<\/sup><\/p>\n

Diet determines your propensity for fitness<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"Important to note, one\u2019s fitness level is strongly linked to what you eat. \u00a0People who are overweight \u00a0as well as those who don\u2019t eat healthfully, do\u00a0 not have the will, energy or capacity for regular exercise.\u00a0 When you eat right, you\u2019re more likely to get fit; when you don\u2019t eat right it is very difficult to get fit.<\/p>\n

A nutrient-dense, plant-rich diet (Nutritarian<\/a>) is the most critical determinant influencing whether one gets dementia or not.\u00a0 When you eat right you automatically crave exercise and it becomes pleasurable to do so.<\/p>\n

This study also demonstrates the wide\u00a0variety of health benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and several cancers when you get fit. Mixing together nutritional excellence and exercise is when the magic happens to protect yourself from the common diseases of aging.\u00a0 Exercise offers additional benefits to\u00a0cardiovascular health\u00a0and insulin sensitivity, as well as some direct effects in the brain, such as the release of protective compounds called neurotrophins.6,7<\/sup><\/p>\n

At any age, fitness is vital for your\u00a0present and future brain health.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It is never too late to start exercising and you are never too old. Studies have documented cognitive benefits from exercise (strength training\u00a0and aerobic training) in all age groups, from children to the elderly.6-9<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0Today is the day to make sure you do both; eat right and get fit.<\/p>\n

Originally printed on DrFuhrman.com<\/a>. Reprinted with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Joel Fuhrman, M.D.\u00a0<\/strong>is a board-certified family physician, six-time New York Times bestselling author and internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing, who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional methods. Dr. Fuhrman coined the term \u201cNutritarian\u201d to describe his longevity-promoting, nutrient dense, plant-rich eating style.<\/em>
\n\u00a0<\/em>
\nFor over 25 years, Dr. Fuhrman has shown that it is possible to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses using smart nutrition. In his medical practice, and through his books and PBS television specials, he continues to bring this life-saving message to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Horder H, Johansson L, Guo X, et al.\u00a0Midlife cardiovascular fitness and dementia: A 44-year longitudinal population study in women.\u00a0Neurology\u00a0<\/em>2018.<\/li>\n
  2. Defina LF, Willis BL, Radford NB, et al.\u00a0The association between midlife cardiorespiratory fitness levels and later-life dementia: a cohort study.\u00a0Ann Intern Med\u00a0<\/em>2013,\u00a0158:162-168.<\/li>\n
  3. Liu R, Sui X, Laditka JN, et al.\u00a0Cardiorespiratory fitness as a predictor of dementia mortality in men and women.\u00a0Med Sci Sports Exerc\u00a0<\/em>2012,\u00a044:253-259.<\/li>\n
  4. Willis BL, Gao A, Leonard D, et al.\u00a0Midlife fitness and the development of chronic conditions in later life.\u00a0Arch Intern Med\u00a0<\/em>2012,\u00a0172:1333-1340.<\/li>\n
  5. Spartano NL, Himali JJ, Beiser AS, et al.\u00a0Midlife exercise blood pressure, heart rate, and fitness relate to brain volume 2 decades later.\u00a0Neurology\u00a0<\/em>2016,\u00a086:1313-1319.<\/li>\n
  6. Kandola A, Hendrikse J, Lucassen PJ, Yucel M.\u00a0Aerobic Exercise as a Tool to Improve Hippocampal Plasticity and Function in Humans: Practical Implications for Mental Health Treatment.\u00a0Front Hum Neurosci\u00a0<\/em>2016,\u00a010:373.<\/li>\n
  7. Kirk-Sanchez NJ, McGough EL.\u00a0Physical exercise and cognitive performance in the elderly: current perspectives.\u00a0Clin Interv Aging\u00a0<\/em>2014,\u00a09:51-62.<\/li>\n
  8. Fiatarone Singh MA, Gates N, Saigal N, et al.\u00a0The Study of Mental and Resistance Training (SMART) study-resistance training and\/or cognitive training in mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, double-blind, double-sham controlled trial.\u00a0J Am Med Dir Assoc\u00a0<\/em>2014,\u00a015:873-880.<\/li>\n
  9. Mavros Y, Gates N, Wilson GC, et al.\u00a0Mediation of Cognitive Function Improvements by Strength Gains After Resistance Training in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Outcomes of the Study of Mental and Resistance Training.\u00a0J Am Geriatr Soc\u00a0<\/em>2016.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Stay fit today; avoid dementia tomorrow It\u2019s well-known exercise plays a vital role in your physical health, and now studies propose staying fit in midlife may protect your brain as well, avoiding mental deterioration in later years. A new study, published in\u00a0Neurology,\u00a0that followed Swedish women for more than 40 years, \u00a0suggests one\u2019s level of\u00a0physical fitness\u00a0predicts the amount of protection from dementia decades later.1 Swedish dementia\/exercise study began 50 years ago At the onset of the study in 1968, 191 Swedish women ranging in age from 38 to 60 took part in a vigorous stationary cycling test to measure their exercise work capacity. Based on work capacity, women were split into low, medium, and high fitness categories. The women were followed from 1968 to 2012, and dementia diagnoses were recorded. The measurement of exercise capacity is an important aspect of the strength of this study \u2013 \u00a0it was based on the participants\u2019 actual performance rather than relying on participants\u2019 subjective reports of how much, how vigorously, and how often they exercised. Strong association between fitness and likelihood of dementia decades later Dementia incidence correlated with fitness level, the greater the fitness level, the less the dementia: 32 percent, 25 percent, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238,"featured_media":21282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[125,134,198,193],"class_list":["post-22378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-mfn","tag-alzheimers","tag-fitness","tag-fitness-professionals","tag-healthy-aging"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22378"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30097,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22378\/revisions\/30097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}