Fitness and Dementia Study
Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2019 5:40 am
My take away is that improving cardiorespiratory fitness gave a similar associational benefit as being continually fit.Methods
We linked data from the prospective Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) done in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway with dementia data from the Health and Memory Study and cause of death registries (n=30 375). Included participants were apparently healthy individuals for whom data were available on estimated cardiorespiratory fitness and important confounding factors. Datasets were matched to each participant through their 11-digit personal identification number. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated on two occasions 10 years apart, during HUNT1 (1984–86) and HUNT2 (1995–97). HUNT2 was used as the baseline for follow-up. Participants were classified into two sex-specific estimated cardiorespiratory fitness groups according to their age (10-year categories): unfit (least fit 20% of participants) and fit (most fit 80% of participants). To assess the association between change in estimated cardiorespiratory fitness and dementia, we used four categories of change: unfit at both HUNT1 and HUNT2, unfit at HUNT1 and fit at HUNT2, fit at HUNT1 and unfit at HUNT2, fit at both HUNT1 and HUNT2. Using Cox proportional hazard analyses, we estimated adjusted hazard ratios (AHR) for dementia incidence and mortality related to temporal changes in estimated cardiorespiratory fitness.
Findings
During a median follow-up of 19·6 years for mortality, and 7·6 years for incidence, there were 814 dementia-related deaths, and 320 incident dementia cases. Compared with participants who were unfit at both assessments, participants who sustained high estimated cardiorespiratory fitness had a reduced risk of incident dementia (AHR 0·60, 95% CI 0·36–0·99) and a reduced risk of dementia mortality (0·56, 0·43–0·75). Participants who had an increased estimated cardiorespiratory fitness over time had a reduced risk of incident dementia (AHR 0·52, 95% CI 0·30–0·90) and dementia mortality (0·72, 0·52–0·99) when compared with those who remained unfit at both assessments. Each metabolic equivalent of task increase in estimated cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a risk reduction of incident dementia (adjusted HR 0·84, 95% CI 0·75–0·93) and dementia mortality (0·90, 0·84–0·97). Participants who increased their estimated cardiorespiratory fitness over time gained 2·2 (95% CI 1·0–3·5) dementia-free years, and 2·7 (0·4–5·8) years of life when compared with those who remained unfit at both assessments.
Just FYI you can have a free registration with NYT that allows limited article viewing per month. I think it used to be 10 but may now be 3.Tincup wrote:As I don't have NYT subscription so I could not read ...
Hi PeteWilliams,PeteWilliams wrote:Measuring CV fitness does not need to be difficult, it easy to do for us all.
We actually measure it in our consulting room with a step and iPhone app. May not be 100% accurate to a lab ands analysis but who is going to spend £500 getting that done.
CV fitness can also be measured in the field with different testing methods such as 1.5 mile Cooper test.
Exercise really is the poly pill, do it daily, get a bit of a sweat on (not tooooo much) and your brain will benefit, as will everything else.