A new study reports that physical fitness may decrease an individual’s risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

Nearly 20,000 patients at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas in their 40s and 50s were used for the study. Medicare records helped researchers follow the subjects for an average of 24 years. The patient’s fitness levels were determined by using a treadmill exercise test.

The study’s authors found that those in the highest 20 percent for midlife fitness had a 36 percent reduced risk of dementia. Researchers took into account other factors such as diabetes and smoking when determining the results.

Lead author, Dr. Laura F. DeFina, said, “”Dementia is a disease with no cure and no good therapies,” adding, physical activity may be “a preventive way to address dementia instead of addressing the costs of a disabled elder,”” The New York Times reported.

The Times also notes that the study population was largely white and highly educated, and the researchers acknowledge that their findings “cannot be generalized to other populations.” They also emphasized that the study is “observational and does not prove causation.”

Authors can’t say for sure whether factors such as diet or a higher level of education could have fully accounted for the association.

The study was published in the February 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/02/27/does-midlife-fitness-decrease-risk-dementia