Even Exercising a Few Times a Week Cuts Later Dementia Risk

The risk for mild dementia reduced by approximately 13 percent in ‘weekend warriors’

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Oct. 31, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The “weekend warrior” physical activity pattern is associated with a reduced risk for mild dementia over time, according to a study published online Oct. 29 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Gary O’Donovan, Ph.D., from Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia, and colleagues investigated associations between the “weekend warrior” physical activity pattern and mild dementia. The analysis included 10,033 adults (mean age, 51 years) followed for 16 years.

The researchers found that compared with the group that reported no sport or exercise, risk was lower in the “weekend warrior” group (hazard ratio, 0.75; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.61 to 0.91), as well as in the regularly active group (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.78 to 1.02) and the combined group (hazard ratio, 0.84; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.75 to 0.95). Thirteen percent of dementia cases were attributable to a failure to exercise once or twice per week or more often. Results were similar for mild dementia.

“This study is important because it suggests that even busy people can gain cognitive health benefits from taking part in one or two sessions of sport and exercise per week,” the authors write.