Elderly people who take regular walks are less likely to suffer dementia than those who take little exercise, a pair of studies said.

Keeping active has already been proven to lessen the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Now moderate daily exercise such as long strolls has been found to keep elderly minds healthier, said the authors of studies published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"We now have evidence that regular walking is also associated with benefits that are related to cognitive function later in life," said Robert Abbott, a biostatistician at the University of Virginia Health System.

His study tracked the habits and mental functioning of 2,257 Hawaiian Asian-American men aged 71 to 93 years and found those who walked less than one-quarter mile a day were 1.8 times as likely to develop dementia than men who walked at least two miles a day.

The second study, involving elderly women participating in the Nurses' Health Study at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, found those who exercised regularly -- such as walking at an easy pace for 1-1/2 hours a week -- were less likely to suffer mental decline.

"What is most striking is that for older women who are able to engage in several hours per week of physical activity (for example, walking at least six hours per week), their cognitive function seemed to be comparable to that of a woman several years younger," said study author Jennifer Weuve of the Harvard School of Public Health.

More active people also tended to have a healthier lifestyle and eat a better diet than sedentary people, which could also help preserve mental acuity, Abbott said.

"There is also the possibility that people who walk are less likely to get diseases later on in life that could lead to dementia versus people who are inactive," he said.

Reference Source 89
Posted September 22, 2004

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