Exercise: Risk of Dementia

Can Exercise Cut Your Risk of Dementia?

Strong bodies and strong minds go together. A recent study suggests that regular exercise can strengthen the brain and may cut your risk of cognitive decline and dementia down the road. To determine how physical fitness affects brain health, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine studied the medical records of 6,104 older patients in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health system. They found that the more vigorously the patients exercised, the lower their risk of cognitive problems (including Alzheimer's disease years later. The findings were published in February 2017 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.