If your favorite exercise is channel surfing cable TV, it's time
to get off the couch! What you're about to learn may be more
important than you'd ever imagine. New research has provided key
insights that may help prevent a devastating disease that
destroys quality of life. Dr. Robert P. Friedland and colleagues
of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine recently
reported a 2.5 times increased risk for developing Alzheimer's
disease in the couch potato set. His study, published in the
March 2001 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
revealed that adults who routinely exercise their brains are
less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. The researchers
conducted surveys on 70 year-olds - 193 Alzheimer's patients and
358 control subjects who did not have the disease. Friedland's
team analyzed leisure time activities performed during early and
middle adulthood (ages 20-60). These included: - Passive
activities including watching television, talking on the phone
or listening to music. - Inte