Physical Fitness Protects Against Alzheimer's?

A recent study indicates that more physically fit people are less likely to have Alzheimer’s disease related brain shrinkage than their less fit counterparts. Researchers from the University of Kansas at Kansas City evaluated volunteers with and without early stage dementia using treadmill fitness tests and MRI brain scans. The results were adjusted to account for differences in sex, dementia severity, levels of physical activity, and physical frailty. However, it remains to be determined whether a lack of physical fitness promotes progression to Alzheimer’s or whether early dementia contributes to a decline in physical fitness.

Any Wonder the Pounds Accumulate?

Researchers from California, Arkansas and North Carolina studied the physical activity patterns of over 1000 children over a 6 year period. While it was not surprising that physical activity would decrease with age, the magnitude of the drop was astounding. The investigators reported that at age 9 the children logged approximately 3 hours a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, but by age 15 this had decreased to well under 1 hour per day. The study was particularly strong in design in that children were selected from 10 study sites and were measured on four occasions between the ages of 9 to 15. In addition, activity levels were actually measured by having the children wear accelerometers rather than relying on recall.

Less Pain, Gradual Gain

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic have reported that as little as ten minutes a day of walking improved chronic pain, depression and other mood disorders. Increasing physical activity often seems paradoxical to patients with persistent pain. They tend to want to avoid all types of physical activity which unfortunately results in a vicious spiral of debilitation, more pain and depression. In order to improve chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, certain neuropathies and low back pain physical activities must be increased in small but consistent increments.