Mixed
Low levels of physical activity are associated with a significantly higher risk of incident dementia in older adults (aged 60+), specifically demonstrating a threshold effect where the lowest activity quintile faces increased risk compared to higher activity levels.
Maintain a baseline level of physical activity as you age to protect your brain. This study suggests that even modest activity (moving out of the 'lowest quintile' of inactivity) is protective against dementia, with the strongest benefits seen in those over 75. You do not need to be an elite athlete; simply avoiding a sedentary lifestyle and engaging in regular movement helps preserve brain volume and reduces dementia risk.
Participants in the lowest quintile of PAI had an increased risk of incident dementia compared with those in higher quintiles (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04–1.97, p = .028) in a multivariable-adjusted model.
Why this rating
Large longitudinal cohort (Framingham), long follow-up (10 years), rigorous adjustment for confounders, though observational design limits causal inference.
Source
Physical Activity, Brain Volume, and Dementia Risk: The Framingham Study
Zaldy S. Tan et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2016
DOI 10.1093/gerona/glw130
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