An active lifestyle reduces the risk of dementia in later years

Thirty- million people suffer from dementia worldwide. One in eight people over the age of 65, and more than four in 10 over 85, are affected by the devastating disease. A new case is diagnosed every seven seconds. By 2050, 115 million people will suffer from dementia.

The Gazette raised equally startling statistics to bolster its editorial (“Canada needs a national dementia strategy,” Dec. 12). There is compelling evidence suggesting prevention programs should be included in any such strategy.

Aging in itself can be associated with slight cognitive decline, diminishing the sufferers’ quality of life and leading to a sedentary exist- ence. This creates a vicious cycle that further speeds up the decline. Beyond the human impact, the financial impact is staggering. Older adults account for only 14 per cent of the population in Quebec; yet they account for more than 40 per cent of health-care spending.

Sadly, there is no cure for dementia. But science gives us reason to hope; diseases such as Alzheimer’s can be prevented, or at the very least postponed, and their progression slowed. A good diet, meaningful social interaction and cognitive stimulation are among the healthy lifestyle choices that positively impact dementia.

Best of all, physical activity is associated with a 30 per cent reduced risk of dementia. Our research indicates that even sedentary older adults can expect to see significant improvement in their physical condition and cognitive health after only three months of exercise training.

So why is this message not getting through?

Only about 10 per cent of people are active enough to meet the minimal recommendation of the American College of Sport and Medicine. Beyond 75 years of age, the proportion drops to less than seven per cent. This highlights the need for a better understanding of how to motivate older adults to adopt and maintain an active lifestyle.

Public policy in Canada isn’t doing enough to encourage physical activity. While parents can get a tax credit for registering their children in an exercise program, there is no equivalent for adults of any age. Whether by helping to preserve cognitive health, or for its motivational and ego-boosting properties, exercise is medicine. We need public-policy incentives, then, that do more to encourage physical activity — and healthy eating, too.

Why not offer an additional tax break to active seniors or perhaps boost the guaranteed-income supplement of sporty seniors?

If I can borrow an analogy from Gene D. Cohen, first director of the Center on Aging at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, we have to manage healthy brain functioning in much the same way we manage a sound investment portfolio.

Cohen’s proposal is simple: diversification. We have to diversify our physical activities to include a range of stimulating group and solo exercises, of varying degrees of difficulty, to maintain top brain health and fight off the negative effects of age and disease.

Our brain develops long before our first heartbeat, and its limitless potential means it continues to develop until our last breath. A comprehensive understanding of its functioning remains the holy grail of researchers.

What we do know is that its peak performance depends on the same factors as any of our other organs.

A healthy body is the crucial link to a healthy mind.

Louis Bherer is the scientific director of the Perform Centre, a preventive-health research facility, at Concordia University. He is also a researcher and laboratory director at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal.