Just 5 Minutes of Daily Exercise Could Ward Off Dementia: Seriously?

Think five minutes isn't enough time to make a difference in terms of health and well-being? New research suggests that a mere five minutes of light exercise a day could significantly reduce the risk of dementia, even for frail older adults. I mean, who wouldn't want to spend five minutes to potentially dodge that bullet? The study, led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, found that engaging in as little as 35 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week was associated with a whopping 41% lower risk of developing dementia over an average four-year follow-up period. The findings were published in The Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. The higher the amount of physical activity, the lower the risk of dementia, the study showed. Dementia risks were 60% lower in participants who got 35-to-69.9 minutes of physical activity/week; 63% lower in the 70-to-139.9 minutes/week category; and 69% lower in the 140-and-over minutes/week category. For their analysis, the researchers analyzed a dataset covering nearly 90,000 adults living in the United Kingdom who wore smartwatch-type activity trackers, news agency SWNS reported. Lead study author Dr. Amal Wanigatunga said, "Our findings suggest that increasing physical activity, even as little as five minutes per day, can reduce dementia risk in older adults." While public health guidelines usually recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, the study aligns with a growing body of evidence supporting a "some-is-better-than-none" approach to physical activity, according to Study Finds. Participants in the new study had a median age of 63. Women made up 56% of the sample. Over an average follow-up period of 4.4 years, 735 people among the group developed dementia. Researchers found that for every additional 30 minutes of weekly moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), there was a 4% reduction in dementia risk. "This suggests that even frail or nearly frail older adults might be able to reduce their dementia risk through low-dose exercise," said Wanigatunga. Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News' senior medical analyst, who was not involved in the study, said, "This study suggests that even small amounts are helpful." There are many mechanisms that could explain this effect, Siegel said – "primarily increased blood flow to the brain, as well as improved disposal of metabolic waste and decreased inflammation." He added, "It is also likely associated with healthier lifestyle decisions that also decrease the advent of neuroinflammation, dysregulation and plaque formation that characterize dementia, especially Alzheimer’s." Some of these include sleep, diet and engagement, he said. So basically, a holistic approach to life is what we're talking about, people! The National Institute on Aging provided funding for the new study.