You may wonder why I link mountain climbing with Alzheimer’s. My simple answer is that a healthy body = a healthy mind. You don’t have to climb Mt. Everest, view a short amount of daily exercise will do the trick.
A new study from the famed Mayo Clinic proves the point:
Those who said they did moderate exercise — such as swimming, brisk walking, yoga, aerobics or strength training — during midlife were 39% less likely to have mild cognitive impairment, while those who did moderate exercise later in life were 32% less likely to have the condition.
The Mayo team said exercise may guard against mild cognitive impairment through production of nerve-protecting compounds, increased blood flow to the brain, improved development and survival of neurons, and decreased risk of heart and blood vessel diseases.
The second study included 33 adults, average age 70, with mild cognitive impairment. Some were randomly assigned to do high-intensity aerobics for 45 to 60 minutes a day, four days a week. Others were put in a control group that had the same workout schedule, but did stretching exercises and kept their heart rate low.
After six months, the s who did high-intensity aerobic exercise had improved cognitive function compared to those in the control group. The beneficial effects were more pronounced in women than in men, possibly because the body’s use of and production of insulin, glucose and the stress hormone cortisol differed in women and men.
In other Alzheimer’s news, CBS featured Alzheimer’s on their January 12th Evening News broadcast.
I found the online article very well written and here are two excellent excerpts:
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Average lifespan is about eight years. The five Alzheimer’s drugs currently approved usually don’t help for long and only symptoms. There are medications that can help the anger, anxiety, and depression that often accompany the disease. But so far, no medication has been proven to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.
It’s clear we need to make curing Alzheimer’s disease a national priority and devote sufficient resources to head off what is obviously an impending disaster.
Please make a donation to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund where 100% of all your donation goes to research or the more general Alzheimer’s Association.
Climb On!
Alan
