Physical performance linked to future mental ability

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | May 23, 2006 | SUSAN PHINNEY

[neverdem]

P-I REPORTER

Determining your chances of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease could be as simple as timing your walk, testing the strength of the grip of your dominant hand and checking your balance when standing still.

That's what a Seattle-based research team determined during a six-year study of 2,288 people 65 and older.

Dr. Eric Larson, director of Group Health's Center for Health Studies, said the study started in 1994 and is ongoing, but the analysis of the first six years was published in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.

When the study began, none of the participants showed signs of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Six years later, 319 people had developed dementia, including 221 with Alzheimer's disease.

"Everyone had expected the earliest signs of dementia would be subtle cognitive changes," Larson said in an interview. "We were surprised to find that physical changes can precede declines in thinking."

The first indicators of future dementia appeared to be problems with walking and balance, according to the study. A weak handgrip may be a later sign of the development of dementia in older people.

In an earlier report in the Annals of Internal Medicine in January, some of the same researchers found that when people exercised regularly, they were less likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. The cause of this association was not clear, though. This newer study suggests a possible pathway: that regular exercise might help stave off dementia by improving and maintaining physical conditioning, Group Health reported in a release.

"These results suggest that in aging there's a close link between the mind and body. Physical and mental performance may go hand in hand and anything you can do to improve one is likely to improve the other," he said.

In general, people who are less likely to develop dementia tend to be better educated and not to have genetic markers, Larson said. "But this study adjusted for those and focused only on physical performance compared with others in the study and what happened to them over six years."

Each person in the study was assessed every two years, or three times. Serial observations make it easier to detect and define dementia and Alzheimer's, Larson explained.

In the study, the first indicators of future dementia appeared to be problems with walking and balance. A weak handgrip could be a later sign of the development of dementia.

Dr. John Younger, who specializes in internal medicine and geriatrics at the Polyclinic, is a board member of the Western Washington Alzheimer's Association. He was not familiar with this study, but, "Alzheimer's disease or no, it's a good thing for all of us to stay as mobile, healthy and active as we can."

Li Wang, of the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System and Drs. James Bowen and Gerald van Belle of the University of Washington were co-authors with Larson. The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging.

P-I reporter Susan Phinney can be reached at 206-448-8397 or susanphinney@seattlepi.com.

[buccaneer81]

Yup. This explains Stephen Hawking. (/sarc)

[mtbopfuyn]

Does exercising fingers by typing on FR count?

[MeanWestTexan]

Real, hard, exercise causes inflamation, which causes the body to release chemicals and substances that ease and fix said inflamation.

Alzheimers's is basically scarring from inflamation.

It's no mystery to me, but I'm just an engineer, not a physician, damn it Jim.

[Clara Lou]

How are Hawking and dementia related?

[Young Scholar]

Mens sana in corpore sano.

[buccaneer81]

How are Hawking and dementia related?

I admit, in an effort to be witty I didn't peruse the article sufficiently. My bad.

[Rennes Templar]

"We were surprised to find that physical changes can precede declines in thinking."

The Cartesian body-mind duality paradigm is still sadly alive and well in orthodox academia. But there own research is ironically moving them to quantum whole outlooks.

[Ruddles]

Primer mi carucha dice Reuben Sano.

[WaterDragon]

Good response! I can't think of many things that will work overall to your general good health than regular exercise. And it doesn't have to be strenuous exercise to be effective. I suffer post-polio syndrome but keep my weight down with a reasonable, high-protein diet, take vitamins and supplements and exercise mildly every day. Despite difficulty walking and unsteadiness, I do very well. I recently tripped over something in the kitchen, fell and broke my hip. The hospital staff were amazed that all my systems function well within the normal range, that I had not even the slightest surgery complication and that I'm recovering so quickly.

The only treasure you ever really possess is good health, and while some things are beyond our control we have total control over so much!

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[Rennes Templar]

Sorry to hear you broke your hip. I generally stay away from high-protein diets, over-acididty can cause various problems.

[WaterDragon]

I generally stay away from high-protein diets, over-acididty can cause various problems I agree about the acidity that comes with a high-protein diet from MEAT. Balance the meat protein with vegetable protein and you have a winner. My bones are very strong. The femur broke because of the impact and the angle. It was a clean break, through and through, the ends stayed together and were nicely pinned together. It's been two weeks and I'm walking. Would have sooner but for the weakened post-polio muscles.