THURSDAY, Nov. 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- People whose genes put them at high risk for dementia may be able to fight Mother Nature and win, new research out of Sweden suggests. The weapon: Working out on a regular basis to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, also known as CRF.
CRF is the capacity of the body's circulatory and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to muscles -- a capacity that declines as people age and lose muscle, starting in their 20s and accelerating over time. By the time folks reach their 70s, CRF drops off more than 20% per decade. Low CRF is a strong predictor of early death from all causes and heart-related events such as strokes and heart attacks.
"Our study shows that higher CRF is associated with better cognitive function and decreased dementia risk," the Swedish researchers concluded. "Moreover, high CRF may buffer the impact of genetic risk of all dementia by 35%." For the study, a team led by Weili Xu , of the Aging Research Center at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, looked at data on more than 61,200 people between the ages of 39 and 70.
They were enrolled in the UK Biobank study between 2009 and 2010 and were followed for up to 12 years. At the start of the study, all were dementia-free. Each took a six-minute ride on a stationary bike to determine their CRF.
They also took cognitive tests and their genetic risk for dementia was gauged using a standard score for Alzheimer's disease . In all, 553 participants -- 0.9% -- were diagnosed with de.
