An increase in physical activity between 45 and 65 could help prevent Alzheimer’s inactivity I would be harmful For brain Health. This is the main conclusion of a scientific article published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
According to the world Health Organization (WHO) it is advisable to perform 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity per week or 75 to 150 minutes of intense activity per week.
It is estimated that 13 % of the world’s Alzheimer’s cases can be attributed to the sedentary lifestyle
Although it has widely investigated how exercise reduces Alzheimer’s risk by improving the cardiovascular health And mental, recent studies suggest that physical activity can have a direct impact on the development of brain pathologies related to the disease.
The article highlights the need to promote physical activity in middle -aged adults since it is estimated that a 13 % of the cases of Alzheimer’s world of the world can be attributed to lifestyle sedentary.
results Analysis
The research has been the result of a collaboration between the Institute of Global Health of Barcelona (ISGLOBAL), promoted by the “La Caixa” Foundation, and Barcelona Sal Brain Research Center (BBRC), of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation.
Led by Eider Arenaza-UrquijoIsglobal researcher, has had the participation of 337 personas that belong to the Alfa study (Alzheimer’s and Families), of the BBRC.
Beta amyloid is a protein that can hinder neuronal communication if it accumulates in the brain, and is considered the first pathological event of Alzheimer’s
“We monitored four years to resident of medium age with a family history of Alzheimer’s in Catalonia, ”he explains Müge AkıncıDoctoral researcher in Isglobal and first author of the article.
“We use physical activity questionnaires to evaluate activity in a period of 4 years, and tests of Neuroimagen In order to analyze the effects of exercise on brain structure and function, ”he adds.
To do this, people qualified for adherents (that is, the WHO recommendations followed), not adherents (performed a physical activity less than recommended) and sedentary (zero minutes of physical activity a week).
Effects on brain mechanisms
The Beta amyloid (Aβ) is a protein that can hinder neuronal communication if it accumulates in the brain, and is considered the first event pathological of Alzheimer’s disease.
Those participants who increased their physical activity to the levels recommended by WHO presented a minor accumulation of beta amyloid compared to those who maintained a sedentary lifestyle or reduced their physical activity. In addition, it seems to be dose-dependent; A greater increase in activity, greater reduction in amyloid load.
The authors observed that the benefit of physical activity seems to be related to the increase in exercise over time
Non -sedentary participants also showed greater cortical thickness in brain -related brain regions. Cortical thickness in medial temporal areas is key to memory, so its thinning or atrophy (loss of volume) is an early sign of neurodegeneration.
“Even those who carried out a physical activity less than the recommended one showed greater cortical thickness than the sedentary ones, which suggests that any level of movement, however minimal, provides health benefits,” says Müge akıncı.
Exercise as prevention
The research team studied both the increase in physical activity and adherence to WHO recommendations. They observed that the benefit of physical activity seems to be related to the increase in exercise over time, rather than compliance with a specific activity threshold.
“These results reinforce the importance of promoting exercise in medium age as a public health strategy for the prevention of Alzheimer’s,” says Eider Arenaza-Uquijo.
“Interventions aimed at promoting the increase in physical activity could be key to reducing the incidence of disease in the future,” he concludes.
Reference:
Akinci, M., Aguilar-Dominguez, et. to. “Physical activity changes during midlife link to brain integrity and amyloid burden”. Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2025)
