- Physical activity might not play as prominent a role in reducing the risk or preventing cognitive decline as previously thought, according to a new study.
- Even though the researchers reported that physical activity had a weak association with lowering the risk of cognitive decline, they said even a slight reduction can be helpful.
- The researchers note that the studies included in the meta-analysis have shortcomings but do not believe the low quality of the studies significantly altered the results.
Physical activity is associated with a lower the risk of cognitive decline.
However, according to a
The study examined whether physical activity is associated with cognitive decline and whether there is a dose-response association between physical activity and cognition.
The scientists concluded that physical activity might postpone cognitive decline, but only to a small extent.
The weaker association remained, even when looking at the preceding levels of cognition or age of the participant.
Researchers looked at 104 studies with a total of 341,741 participants.
The study’s analysis of binary outcomes included 45 studies with a total of 102,452 participants.
When looking specifically at follow-up global cognition, they reviewed data from 14 studies that included 41,045 participants. When evaluating changes in global cognition, they included 25 studies with 67,643 individuals.
Evaluating
The researchers found that:
- Overall, there was only a minimal association between physical activity and reduced risk of cognitive impairment.
- There was a dose-response association between…
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