Abstract
BackgroundThe incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is increasing as the global population ages. Given the limited success of pharmaceuticals in preventing this disease, a greater emphasis on non-pharmaceutical approaches is needed. The aim of this study was to quantify the association between Alzheimer’s disease and physical activity in older adults over the age of 65 years.MethodsA meta-analytic approach was used to determine if physical activity reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in individuals 65 years or older. Some evidence indicates that physical activity may improve cognitive function in older adults, while other evidence is inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine if prevention of Alzheimer’s disease is possible if started at a later age. The precise brain changes that occur with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease are not fully known, and therefore may still be influenced by preventative measures even in advancing age. Determining if physical activity can inhibit the onset of the disease at any age may motivate individuals to adopt an “it’s never too late” mentality on preventing the onset of this debilitating disease. Longitudinal studies of participants who were 65 years or older at baseline were included. A total of 20,326 participants from nine studies were included in this analysis.ResultsThe fixed effects risk ratio is estimated as 0.61 (95% CI 0.52-0.73) corresponding to a statistically significant overall reduction in risk of Alzheimer’s disease in physically active older adults compared to their non-active counterparts.ConclusionPhysical activity was associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease in adults over the age of 65 years. Given the limited treatment options, greater emphasis should be paid to primary prevention through physical activity amongst individuals at high-risk of Alzheimer’s disease, such as those with strong genetic and family history.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12877-015-0007-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is increasing as the global population ages
As this study is based on the systematic review of previously published literature and there is no potential for participant identification, ethics approval was not required from our host institution
The fixed effects log risk ratio was calculated as −0.49 which corresponds to a fixed effects risk ratio of 0.61 indicating a statistically significant overall reduction in risk of Alzheimer’s disease in physically active older adults compared to their non-active counterparts (Figure 2)
Summary
The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is increasing as the global population ages. The aim of this study was to quantify the association between Alzheimer’s disease and physical activity in older adults over the age of 65 years. The world’s population is getting older, as improvements in health care and health technologies allow people to live healthier and longer lives. This increase in longevity has contributed to an increase in the global prevalence of age-related diseases. In 2011 the number of people globally living with dementia was 35.6 million, and this number is expected to double every 20 years, reaching. In 2006 there were 26.6 million cases of Alzheimer’s disease worldwide [4]. It is estimated that by 2050, 1 in 85 adults will be living with Alzheimer’s and one new case of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to develop every 33 seconds [2,4]
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