Regular exercise appears to be one of the effective methods of reducing instances of cognitive decline and dementia among lifestyle factors that have been studied as reported in Exercise Dosage in Reducing the Risk of Dementia Development: Mode, Duration, and Intensity - A Narrative Review (Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13331).
Positive effects for both aerobic exercise and strength training have been identified as resulting in improved thinking and memory, in addition to a decrease rate of dementia in middle age and older adults. Exercise may have a preventive effect due to the neurotrophic factor (BDNF) secreted by the brain, which can help prevent shrinking of the hippocampus, the area of the brain playing a significant role in memory function.
All forms of movement, be it household chores or gardening, also show a positive impact in reducing risk for cognitive decline. A variety of research designs have shown that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and overall dementia is reduced in response to physical activity, regardless of the amount of activity. Increasing physical activity among the elderly has the effect of preventing dementia, and it also has the effect of improving dementia, including psycho-emotional aspects such as depression, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.
Adults and older adults should engage in at least 150 min (2 h and 30 min) of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, or 75 min (1 h and 15 min) to 150 min (2 h and 30 min) of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Aerobic activity should ideally be spread over the course of the week.
Benefits have also been shown for interval-based exercise involving short bursts of intense exercise. The benefit of this form of training comes from the increased amounts blood flow to the brain. Research has discovered that during interval exercise, there was a greater overall change in the total accumulated volume of blood flow over the duration of exercise as compared to moderate forms of exercise.
Dementia can be prevented, and there is a growing body of research demonstrating this. All studies emphasize changing eating and exercise habits, as well as increasing mental training. Exercise has been shown effective to both prevent and delay the progression of dementia. Aerobic exercise and muscle-strengthening exercises are preferable, with all movement being potentially beneficial as well as exercise patterns being established early in life.
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