Vigorous exercise may lower dementia risk in people with high blood pressure: study, ET HealthWorld

New Delhi: A new study has found that physical activity can reduce the risk of dementia in older adults with high blood pressure. Previous studies have shown that people with high blood pressure are at higher risk of cognitive impairment, including dementia, which can lead to impaired memory and thinking skills and have a serious impact on their daily lives. In this study, researchers from Wake Forest University, US, investigated how physical activity affects the risk of mild cognitive impairment (a precursor to dementia) in older adults with high blood pressure.

The research team found that participants who engaged in vigorous exercise at least once a week had lower rates of mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

The researchers noted that about 60% of participants, all of whom were over 50 years old, reported engaging in activities that increased their heart and breathing rates and caused them to sweat at least once a week.

“It’s good news that older adults are becoming more active,” said Richard Kazibwe, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. “It also suggests that older adults who recognize the importance of exercise tend to prefer more intense exercise.”

However, the researchers found that the protective effect of vigorous exercise was more pronounced in people under 75 years of age.

“This study provides evidence that vigorous exercise may preserve cognitive function in high-risk patients with hypertension, but further studies including device-based physical activity measures and more diverse participant populations are needed,” said Kazibwe, lead author of the study published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Alzheimer’s Association.

This latest study is part of the larger Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) study, which showed that intensive control of blood pressure toward a goal of less than 120 mm Hg reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and death.

The study involved more than 9,300 people over the age of 50 with high blood pressure. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either intensive blood pressure treatment or standard blood pressure treatment (limiting systolic blood pressure to less than 140 mmHg). The study results were published in 2015.

In 2019, results from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial: Memory and Cognition in Lowering Hypertension (SPRINT MIND) study showed that intensive treatment of blood pressure in older adults significantly reduced the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.