The effect of midlife physical activity on cognitive function among older adults: AGES--Reykjavik Study
Authors
Chang, MilanJonsson, Palmi V.
Snaedal, Jon
Bjornsson, Sigurbjorn
Saczynski, Jane S.
Aspelund, Thor
Eiriksdottir, Gudny
Jonsdottir, Maria K.
Lopez, Oscar
Harris, Tamara B.
Gudnason, Vilmundur
Launer, Lenore J.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Meyers Primary Care InstituteDepartment of Quantitative Health Sciences
Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2010-12-02Keywords
AdultAging
Alleles
Apolipoproteins E
Cognition
Cohort Studies
Dementia
Executive Function
Female
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
*Heterozygote
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Memory
Mental Processes
Middle Aged
Motor Activity
Neuropsychological Tests
Risk Reduction Behavior
Time Factors
Biostatistics
Epidemiology
Geriatrics
Health Services Research
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
BACKGROUND: There are few studies on the long-term associations of physical activity (PA) to cognition. Here, we examine the association of midlife PA to late-life cognitive function and dementia. METHODS: The sample consisted of a population-based cohort of men and women (born in 1907-1935) participating in the Age Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study. The interval between the midlife ascertainment of PA and late-life cognitive function was 26 years. Composite scores of speed of processing, memory, and executive function were assessed with a battery of neuropsychological tests, and dementia was diagnosed according to international guidelines. There were 4,761 nondemented participants and 184 (3.7%) with a diagnosis of dementia, with complete data for the analysis. RESULTS: Among the participants, no midlife PA was reported by 68.8%, 5 hours PA by 4.5%. Excluding participants with dementia compared with the no PA group, both PA groups had significantly faster speed of processing (5 hours, beta = .32, p trend < .0001), better memory (5 hours, beta = .18, p trend < .0001), and executive function (5 hours, beta = .18, p trend< .0001), after controlling for demographic and cardiovascular factors. The CONCLUSION: Midlife PA may contribute to maintenance of cognitive function and may reduce or delay the risk of late-life dementia.Source
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2010 Dec;65(12):1369-74. Epub 2010 Aug 30. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1093/gerona/glq152Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/47845PubMed ID
20805238Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1093/gerona/glq152