It seems that many research studies are showing that exercise may prevent Alzheimer's disease in people. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is predicted to negatively affect many older individuals in the future and increase the health cost of many. Severe Alzheimer's disease can make a person unable to carry on their daily life, making them unable to live independently. One of the most known ways that precedes the progression of Alzheimer's disease is build up of amyloid plaque in the brain that leads to increased oxidative stress and further damage in the brain. Researches studying both animal and human subjects seem to show that exercising reduces the level of biomarkers that correlates with Alzheimer's disease, which in turn may prove to be preventative.
Below are some of the research studies that I read:
Liang, K. Y., Mintun, M. A., Fagan, A. M., Goate, A. M., Bugg, J. M., Holtzman, D. M., Morris, J. C., & Head, D. (2010). Exercise and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in cognitively normal older adults. Annals of Neurology, 68(3), 311-318.
Radak, Z., Hart, N., Sarga, L., Koltai, E., Atalay, M., Ohno, H., & Boldogh, I. (2010). Exercise plays a preventive role against Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's disease, 20(3), 777-783.
Alzheimer's disease research is ongoing and recent findings point to the importance of exercise.
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