We’re exploring how regular exercise can help lower your chances of dementia. By keeping active, you can increase blood flow to your brain and help protect it from the condition which affects around one million people in the UK.1
No matter your age you can take steps to look after both your physical health and brain health, with exercise being one of these ways.
The role of exercise and dementia
Research into the link between exercise and dementia has shown that people who take regular exercise may be up to 20% less likely to develop dementia than those who don't.2
Exercise causes an increase in blood flow, particularly to areas such as the brain. This is important as a lack of blood flow to the brain has been linked to dementia.3 So by exercising, your brain becomes more exposed to oxygen and essential nutrients that will help protect brain function.
Dementia isn’t a natural part of ageing,4 however ageing is one of the biggest risk factors for causing dementia.5 If someone leads an inactive and unhealthy lifestyle then it accelerates brain ageing and increases the risk.
Evidence shows regular physical activity, high cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), or a combination of both, can help lessen cognitive impairment (difficulties with memory, concentration, decision-making, and problem-solving) and reduce dementia risk.6
Enhanced neuroplasticity during exercise
When you undertake regular exercise your brain starts to form new connections which causes a neuroprotective effect – meaning your brain is being protected. Neuroplasticity takes place – your brain’s ability to create new neural pathways or strengthen existing ones.7
This is an important process, with Alzheimer’s Research UK highlighting that “connections are like highways for information to travel throughout in your brain. This process can protect our brains from damage from conditions like strokes. It can also slow down the natural age-related decline of our memory and thinking.”8
Improving heart health
High blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol levels all increase the risk of dementia. These conditions can damage blood vessels in the body, including those potentially in the brain, resulting in a reduction of blood flow.9 As previously mentioned, when there is a lack of blood flow to the brain the risk of dementia increases, in particular vascular dementia.
Vascular dementia happens as a result of reduced blood supply to parts of your brain, and is caused by either blood vessels being clogged, a stroke or a series of small strokes. Over time, areas of brain cells stop working, leading to symptoms of dementia.10
Exercising for at least 150 minutes every week is one of the key ways to improve cardiovascular health and protect against all of these conditions and their effect on brain function.
Physical exercise isn’t just about going for a run, weight-training or playing sport. It can also include daily activities that get you moving, such as cleaning, gardening or going for a brisk walk. In fact, one study found that daily physical tasks such as cooking and washing up can also help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.11
Some people may find it difficult to undertake regular exercise, with lack of time, motivation, or physical limitations, for example, becoming barriers. However, there are ways to help overcome these limitations:
Lack of time – start with short manageable sessions and gradually increase duration. Or incorporate exercise into daily routines by walking during lunch breaks or walking to the shops rather than driving.
Motivation – include friends and family in the activity, this also helps promote positive mental health, as social interactions help strengthen mental wellbeing and cognitive resilience.
Types of exercise to help boost brain health
1) Aerobic exercises
The NHS recommend doing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity per week.12
Moderate aerobic exercises include:
- brisk walking,
- swimming,
- hiking,
- dancing,
- gentle cycling on a flat ground,
whereas higher-intensity exercises include:
- jogging,
- fast running,
- fast cycling or uphill cycling.
All of which help keep your heart, lungs and blood circulation healthy.11
2) Strength/resistance-building
Strength training (also known as resistance training) is a type of exercise that aims to strengthen muscles, for example lifting weights, sitting to standing exercises and using resistance bands. Exercises under this category focus on increasing strength, power and endurance.13
The benefit of keeping muscles strong is a lower risk or heart and circulatory disease, an increase in balance and the ability to undertake everyday tasks better.13 It’s recommended to undertake strength-based exercises at least twice a week.12
Research into the effects of weightlifting and dementia has been studied14, with results indicating that strength training led to overall benefits in cognitive performance.
This was most evident as a protective factor of the hippocampus, the area of your brain that plays a significant role in learning and memory. The group that did not have strength training showed shrinkage of their hippocampus on brain imaging. In contrast, those who participated in strength training showed minimal or no changes.14
Which type of exercise is most effective?
A combination of both aerobic and strength training is believed to be most effective for brain function. One study compared the effects of:
- combining aerobic and strength training,
- aerobic exercise alone,
- and no exercise on cognitive function among dementia patients.
After nine weeks, the combined exercise regimen showed the most pronounced results across cognitive domains15 (mental skills and intellectual development such as thinking, understanding and learning).
Choose something you enjoy
When it comes to exercise the important thing is to choose something you enjoy, as you’re more likely to stick to it.
Whether it’s gardening, walking, swimming, water aerobics or running, there are lots of exercises that help keep us active but also help boost our brain function.
Our exercise and fitness hub contains plenty of ideas to get you started.
References
- What is dementia? – Dementia UK
- Physical activity and the risk of dementia – Alzheimer’s Society
- Researching links between dementia and blood vessels – Alzheimer’s Society
- Symptoms of dementia – NHS
- Causes of dementia – Dementia UK
- Neuroprotective mechanisms of exercise and the importance of fitness for healthy brain ageing – The Lancet
- How Exercise Reduces Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease – Stanford
- How does regular physical activity reduce our dementia risk? – Alzheimer’s Research UK
- Risk factors for developing dementia – Dementia UK
- What is vascular dementia? – Stroke Association
- Types of physical activity – Alzheimer’s Society
- Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64 – NHS
- Strength training explained – British Heart Foundation
- Can Strength Training Protect Against Alzheimer’s? – Psychology Today
- The Best Exercises to Prevent Alzheimer’s – Stanford
