Our Healthcare system is widely accepted to be more of a treatment based model rather than a disease prevention based system. Although a treatment based model does have its own benefits such as accelerated production of medicine and materials for care, there are also many shortcomings when it comes to ending the development of terminal disease such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia. More specifically, our public health institutions must promote exercise as a preventative measure against the development of Alzheimer’s in order to lower the projected increase in diagnosis rates.
In a study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, 454 volunteers were given accelerometers to track their physical activity over a span of 20 years. During this time period, each individual took an annual test that tested their memory and cognition. The volunteers who demonstrated better bodily fitness usually scored higher than those who didn’t remain as physically active. At the end of the study, the researchers reported that consistent exercise leads to a 31% lower risk of contracting dementia. This is because physical exertion increases blood flow to the organs and reduces the levels of stress hormones, both of which help counteract breakdown of brain function. Unfortunately, there is an evident flaw within this experiment; the people who exercised during this 20 year span already had an established workout routine in their life. The question remained of whether or not volunteers who had been generally inactive before the study could actually benefit from changing their lifestyles to be more physically active.
As a result, the American Academy of Neurology conducted a study to prove this hypothesis that a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine for a minimum of 150 minutes per week is enough to lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s in individuals with sedentary habits. The researchers’ results found that those who strictly followed the diet without any exercise did not improve in the performance of their tests. However, the individuals within the study who followed the physical activity parameters without as large of an emphasis on diet improved their overall health significantly. The study found that the best an individual could possibly do for themselves when preventing Alzheimer’s is coupling a healthy diet with physical exercise. However, partaking in a physical exercise routine without a diet has a larger role in preventing the disease than strictly following a healthy diet without the implementation of exercise. This conclusion proves that exercise and physical activity has a clear impact in slowing down the effects of cognitive decline no matter when an individual begins to exercise.
The established argument is clear: physical activity must be encouraged alongside mental exercises to optimally fight against the development of Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, despite the benefits of consistent cognitive function and exercise, both methods do not perfectly prevent dementia. They are simply stopgap measures that are used while researchers work to find other, more effective methods of counteracting this disease. However, given all of the research, it is clear that we must not ignore their effects on the body, especially for a condition as devastating and common as dementia.
