Memory lapses are common as we get older, but if it affects your quality of life, chances are you’ll risk developing Alzheimer’s disease–a disease that eventually kills.
There isn’t a cure for it either, though, research now shows there’s a way to dramatically reduce your risk. According to a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, people who ran at least 15.3 miles per week reduced their risk by a staggering 40 percent. However, only running between 4.5 to 7.7 miles yielded less impressive benefits: It decreased this risk by only 6 percent.
As far as running goes, more really is better.
“I think this and other research suggest that there are lifestyle choices people can make that will significantly impact their risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Paul T. Williams, author of the study and a researcher from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA. “Running is just that much more efficient in expending more calories in a shorter amount of time. There’s almost nothing you can do that’s more effective in preventing disease than exercise.”
Examining over 153,000 people who walked or ran regularly who participated in the National Runners’ and Walkers’ Health Studies, Williams followed the participants for 12 years, looking at how many of them eventually died from Alzheimer’s disease. By the end of the analysis, a total of 175 people had died from the disease.
Next, Williams looked at how many of the participants ran or walked for exercise and for how long–it didn’t take long to find a connection. For those who ran more than 15.3 miles per week, their risk of dying from the disease dropped by 40 percent. This number dropped dramatically for those who didn’t run as much, however; those who ran just 4.5 miles per week only reduced their risk by 6 percent, for instance.
Walking didn’t appear to have a strong benefit either.
“If one really wants to go for optimal health the answer is the more the better,” says Williams. “That’s prevented by exercise. And these results don’t just apply to Alzheimer’s, but to general cognition as well.”
Bottom Line
Alzheimer’s can be a frightening disease, but now the power of running could decrease your risk by as much as 40 percent. To keep your risk low, plan on running at least 15 miles per week–more is better too, says Williams. It may sound daunting at first, but not impossible: Just 3 5 miles runs per week can help you reach your goal.
Walking too could work as well, says Williams, but be prepared–you’ll need to work out harder.
“Walkers have to walk about 50 percent further, walk briskly and put in more exercise time,” says Williams.
Readers: Are you an active runner? If so, how many miles do you run on a weekly basis?
Sources:
Running 15 Miles a Week Could Slash Alzheimer’s Risk – TheDailyBeast.com
Running Linked to Lower Alzheimer’s Death Risk – WebMD.com
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