Most Fit Have Less Brain Atrophy From Alzheimer's (HealthDay)

SUNDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- Physical fitness can help the mind,body and quality of life of people with early Alzheimer's disease anddementia, according to new research.

"These studies reinforce the need for increased awareness andeducation about the importance of living a brain-healthy lifestyle,including staying physically active," William Thies, vice president ofmedical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer's Association, said ina news release. "Growing evidence shows that physical exercise does nothave to be strenuous or require a major time commitment. It is mosteffective when done regularly, and in combination with a brain-healthydiet, mental activity and social interaction."

The two studies were expected to be presented Sunday at theAlzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease inChicago.

In the first study, MRI brain imaging of people taking a treadmillstress test showed a connection between cardio-respiratory fitness andAlzheimer's-related brain changes in the hippocampus, an area of the brainimportant for memory and spatial navigation. The hippocampus is one of thefirst regions of the brain to suffer damage from Alzheimer's.

"We found that, in early-stage Alzheimer's, cardio-respiratory fitnessis correlated with regional brain volumes in key areas affected by thedisease," study researcher Robyn Honea of the University of Kansas MedicalCenter, in Kansas City, said in the news release. "This suggests thatmaintaining cardio-respiratory fitness may positively modifyAlzheimer's-related brain atrophy."

In the second study, researchers from Western Medicine in Nedlands,Australia, showed that a caregiver-driven, home-based exercise programcould reduce falls, improve balance and maintain the quality of life inpeople with dementia over a 12-month period.

The program centered on increasing good balance, which has beenpreviously shown to have the greatest impact on reducing falls. Caregiverswere taught a tailored set of exercises and were taught how to prompttheir loved ones to do them by incorporating them in everyday routines.

According to the researchers, people with dementia fall up to threetimes more than those who have no cognitive impairment.

In the first six months, patients in the exercise program fellsignificantly less often than those in a control group. Those doing theexercises also improved their balance over 12 months, while the controlgroup showed some deterioration in their balance over this time.

People in the exercise group also showed no significant increase infear of falling over 12 months, while the usual care group became morefearful -- a key factor affecting the person's quality of life.

"As people become increasingly affected by the changes in their memoryand thinking, and as the risk of falls becomes greater, quality of lifecan deteriorate," study researcher Megan Wraith said in aconference-issued news release. "This study is small and is just abeginning, but maintaining quality of life at the same level in thecontext of deteriorating cognitive abilities is an achievement. Theresults are sufficiently encouraging to pursue this approach and develop acaregiver focused home-based exercise program on a larger scale."

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