Exercise Tied to Lower Mortality With Dementia

FRIDAY, Nov. 1, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Maintaining or initiating regular physical activity (PA) after a dementia diagnosis is associated with a reduced risk for all-cause mortality, according to a study published online Oct. 29 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Kye-Yeung Park, from the Hanyang University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues examined associations between the amount and changes in regular PA before and after a diagnosis of dementia and all-cause mortality risk and whether these associations differ by PA intensity (light, moderate, or vigorous). The analysis included data from 60,252 individuals newly diagnosed with dementia (2010 to 2016) followed for a mean 3.7 years.

The researchers found that higher PA levels after dementia diagnosis were associated with a dose-dependent decrease in mortality risk. Compared with remaining inactive, maintaining regular PA was associated with the lowest mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR], 0.71). This decrease in mortality risk with sustained engagement in PA persisted across intensities (light: HR, 0.70; moderate: HR, 0.74; and vigorous PA: HR, 0.70). There was a 20 percent reduction in mortality risk with initiating any PA intensity after a dementia diagnosis. Associations remained in Alzheimer disease.

“Lifestyle modifications promoting PA might offer survival benefits for individuals with dementia,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text