Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity at any Dose Reduces All-Cause Dementia Risk Regardless of Frailty Status.
Amal A Wanigatunga, Yiwen Dong, Mu Jin and 10 others
PMID 39826907WHAT IT FOUND
Compared with no weekly moderate-to-vigorous activity, even 1 to 35 minutes was linked with 41% lower all-cause dementia risk.
The link was similar across frailty groups. This is an observational association, not proof that activity prevents dementia.
Key findings
01Each additional 30 weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with a 4% lower risk of first-time dementia.
02Compared with no weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, 1 to 35 minutes per week was associated with 41% lower dementia risk.
03The study did not find a significant difference in the association between weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and dementia risk by frailty status.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study is observational, so it cannot prove that physical activity caused lower dementia risk. UK Biobank participants were not representative of the United Kingdom, and the sample was middle-aged to older adults. Residual or unmeasured confounding is possible despite adjustment for several factors. Frailty was assessed using a modified physical frailty phenotype, and frailty measures were collected an average of 4 years before accelerometry. Reverse causation is possible because dementia may begin years before diagnosis, although removing events in the first 2 years did not change the main result. Accelerometry did not identify the type of activity performed, which may have misclassified moderate-to-vigorous activity minutes.
Declared interests
One author disclosed being a consultant for Edwards Lifescience and serving on the board of BellSant. The publication types list non-U.S. government and NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that adding 1 to 35 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity will prevent dementia. This is an observational cohort, and the authors note possible residual confounding and reverse causation.