Middle-Aged Women Who Keep Fit Lower The Risk Of Dementia

What the Gothenburg study found

The study by the University of Gothenburg found that fitter middle-aged women were 88% less likely to develop dementia and if they did develop the disease, the diagnosis was, on average, ten years later.

This long-term study has provided further evidence that staying fit and active is linked to better mental health as you get older. However, this study does not suggest that having a high level of fitness will protect against dementia, but it does show a link between physical fitness and mental health.

How the 44-year study worked

The study began in 1968 with a cardiovascular fitness test. From these results, the women were then put into three categories; low fitness, medium fitness and high fitness. From 191 women, 44 developed dementia. 32% of the low fitness group, 25% of the medium fitness group and only 5% of the high fitness group. While the age of death was not affected, there was a strong link between dementia and physical ability.

If women in the high fitness group were diagnosed with dementia, they were, on average, 90-years-old. This is much higher than those with medium fitness which were an average of 79-years-old when diagnosed.

What the results mean for the rest of us

As the test was only completed on Swedish women, there is no conclusion on how it would affect men or people from other nationalities as well as other factors. However, from research achieved so far, there are several strong suggestions of elements which can lower your risk of dementia. These include;

• Being physically and mentally active
• Maintaining a social life
• Eating healthily
• Not smoking
• Completing at least 150 minutes of moderate activity every week.

The blood pressure connection

Another recent study established that there was a possible link between high blood pressure and the onset of dementia. 

Researchers used MRI scans to study white matter lesions on the brain and found people with hypertension have a greater chance of accumulating them and therefore have a higher risk of getting dementia.

Neurological experts believe that there is a growing body evidence to suggest that reducing blood pressure can not only help prevent cognitive decline, but also reduce the risks of stroke and heart disease.