New research shows that daily physical activity may reduce the
risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline, even in
people over the age of 80. According to researchers at Rush
University Medical Center, all physical activity — whether it is
exercise or household chores, such as cooking or cleaning — are
associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. “These results
provide support for efforts to encourage all types of physical
activity even in very old adults who might not be able to
participate in formal exercise, but can still benefit from a
more active lifestyle,” said Dr. Aron S. Buchman, lead author of
the study and associate professor of neurological sciences at
Rush. To measure total daily physical activity, researchers from
Rush asked 716 individuals who did not have dementia to wear a
device called an actigraph, which monitors activity, on their
non-dominant wrist continuously for 10 days. All exercise and
other physical activity was recorded. Study participants, who
had an average age of 82, al