Abstract
Numerous observational studies have shown that physical exercise promotes cognition in the elderly, however, the results from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are ambiguous. In addition, potential benefits of exercise in an elderly Chinese population have not been comprehensively addressed. In this study, an investigation was launched which focused on the relationship between physical exercise and cognitive function, blood lipid profiles and brain anatomy in a non-dementia aging Chinese population. A total of 2074 non-dementia elderly subjects were included (self-selected exercise n = 1372; self-selected non-exercise n = 702). Amongst the subjects, 689 volunteered to receive blood lipid tests, 141 undergo brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 1399 receive a 1 year cognitive evaluation follow-up. The Beijing version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Mini-Mental States Examination (MMSE) were used to assess cognitive function. A significant difference in cognitive function was observed at the baseline and during the 1-year follow-up between the self-selected exercise and self-selected non-exercise groups, however, no significant differences in blood lipids and brain anatomy was evident. Physical exercise has a beneficial effect on cognition, particularly visuospatial function, and decreases the risk of dementia in a Chinese aging cohort.
Highlights
Aging is an irreversible process and the number of elderly is rapidly increasing
Lifestyle contributes to cognitive function and around 35% of the occurrences of dementia in the elderly are attributable to controllable risk factors including physical inactivity, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and et al (Livingston et al, 2017)
In this study, we explored the relationship of physical activity with cognitive function, lipid profiles and brain anatomy in a cohort of non-dementia elderly Chinese individuals
Summary
Aging is an irreversible process and the number of elderly is rapidly increasing. One quarter of the global population will be at least 65 years old in 2020 (Bherer, 2015). Lifestyle contributes to cognitive function and around 35% of the occurrences of dementia in the elderly are attributable to controllable risk factors including physical inactivity, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and et al (Livingston et al, 2017). In this study, we explored the relationship of physical activity with cognitive function, lipid profiles and brain anatomy in a cohort of non-dementia elderly Chinese individuals. Logistic regression analysis was employed using dementia rate of 1 year follow-up as dependent variable, with self-selected exercise (exercise = 1; non-exercise = 2) as the independent variable Covariates in these models included demographics (age, education, and sex), lifestyle (drinking, smoking, tea) and physical diseases (hypertension and diabetes). SPSS Version 17.0 software with a two-tailed p-values of 0.05 was used for all of the statistical analysis
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