People who only exercise on weekends have a similar risk of developing mild dementia compared to those who exercise more frequently, a new study finds.
Weekend athletes who engage in one or two exercise sessions per week were the focus of the research, published online on Tuesday (29) in British Journal of Sports Medicine.
A team of academics from Latin America and Europe set out to determine whether exercise frequency affects the risk of developing mild dementia. The researchers found that not only was the weekend pattern of staying fit potentially just as effective at avoiding the condition, but it may also be easier for people with busy lifestyles to achieve.
Scientists examined two sets of research data from the Mexico City Prospective Study, a longitudinal study that tracked the health of thousands of people in the Mexican capital over many years. The initial survey took place between 1998 and 2004, and the second, which reassessed the same people, began in 2015 and ended four years later.
In total, 10,033 people, with an average age of 51, participated in the surveys and their responses were included in the study.
In the first survey, participants were asked whether they exercised, how often they did it and for how long.
Based on their answers, the researchers divided the respondents into four groups:
- those who did not exercise;
- weekend athletes who played sports or exercised once or twice a week;
- those who were regularly active, who exercised at least three times a week;
- and a combined group of regularly active people and weekend warriors.
In the second survey, respondents’ cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination, which, according to the study, is “probably the most widely used tool for detecting cognitive impairment and dementia in older adults.”
Similar results for men and women
The researchers found that weekend exercisers were 13% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who didn’t exercise, while the regularly active and those in the combined group were 12% less likely to do so. The results were similar for men and women.
The discovery led the team to conclude that 13% of cases of mild dementia could be prevented if all middle-aged people exercised at least once or twice a week.
The lead author is Gary O’Donovan, associate professor at the University of the Andes School of Medicine in Colombia. He told the CNN that about half of weekend warriors reported exercising for at least 30 minutes per session, while the remainder exercised for about an hour or more at a time.
Compared to the no-exercise group, weekend warriors were 13% less likely to develop mild dementia, and those in the regular and combined groups were 12% less likely. O’Donovan said these are “average values” and that the “margins of error overlap.” In other words, he said, “there are similar reductions in risk across groups.”
“We found that the athlete’s weekend physical activity pattern and regularly active physical activity pattern were associated with similar reductions in the risks of mild dementia after adjusting for confounders,” the researchers wrote.
These confounding factors included a number of things that could affect the relationship between cognition and physical activity, such as age, sex, education and body mass index.
The researchers went on to say, “To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first prospective cohort study to show that the weekend warrior physical activity pattern and the regularly active physical activity pattern are associated with similar reductions in risk. of mild dementia.”
Commenting on the importance of the study, O’Donovan said: “The weekend warrior’s entire physical activity pattern is important because lack of time is a major obstacle to participating in more sports and exercise. Surveys of men and women around the world suggest that two-thirds of adults would like to do more, but simply don’t have the time.”
“I have long been interested in correcting this misconception that one size fits all when it comes to exercise. I feel strongly that weekend warriors around the world should be told that what they are doing is okay.”
He added: “The weekend warrior research is starting to pile up now. It’s pretty clear that the health benefits are pretty much the same as exercising more frequently.”
Growing Evidence of the Benefits of Weekend Exercise
According to the study, the researchers believe their findings could “have important implications for policy and practice because the weekend warrior physical activity pattern may be a more convenient option for busy people in Latin America and elsewhere.”
Their findings echoed a larger recent study that suggested weekend warrior workouts may be as effective as more regular exercise when it comes to reducing the risk of developing more than 200 diseases. These scientists, who published their findings in the journal Circulation in September, they used data from the UK Biobank project to reach their conclusions.
Chris Russell, senior lecturer at the Dementia Studies Association at the UK’s University of Worcester, called the research encouraging, saying “more research needs to be done (on dementia) in low- and middle-income countries” such as Mexico. Russell was not involved in the study.
“There is evidence that physical activity can help prevent dementia,” he said, explaining that informal activities like dancing and walking can be beneficial, as can team sports and other physical activities.
In addition to the physical benefits of exercise, there is also the companionship and socialization with others that exercising often involves, which would help prevent cognitive decline, Russell said.
He said there is good evidence that “physical activity can prevent dementia”, but added that it is “by no means certain”, noting that other risk factors such as diet and smoking should also be taken into account.
More than 55 million people currently have dementia worldwide, with nearly 10 million new cases diagnosed each year, according to the World Health Organization.
See also: Support is essential for dementia patients, says Forlenza
This content was originally published in Does exercising only on the weekend reduce the risk of dementia? Understand on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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