I wanted to share this with our readers because I am an old guy so this is important to at least me.
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Supervised exercise might improve physical fitness but doesn’t help cognition. Evidence is mixed on whether physical exercise improves cognitive impairment. In this trial, U.K. investigators determined the effects of a moderate-to-high intensity aerobic and strength exercise training program on cognition and other outcomes in 494 people (mean age, 77) with mild-to-moderate dementia. A total of 329 patients were assigned to an aerobic and strength exercise program, and 165 were assigned to usual care only. The intervention group received 60- to 90-minute, physical therapist–supervised exercise sessions twice weekly for 4 months, followed by prescriptions for unsupervised exercise. Both groups received counseling and advice regarding physical activity. After 12 months, mean scores on a standardized Alzheimer disease cognitive scale were no better in the exercise group than in the usual-care group. Additionally, no differences were found between the groups for secondary outcomes (e.g., activities of daily living, neuropsychiatric symptoms, quality of life) or in subgroup analyses (e.g., by dementia type or severity of cognitive impairment). |
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COMMENT
A moderate-to-high intensity exercise training program didn’t improve cognition in people with mild-to-moderate dementia. Although formal exercise programs shouldn’t be prescribed for this purpose, they might nave other physical-fitness benefits that were not captured in this study, for such patients.