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August 7, 2008

Exercise aids Alzheimer’s patients

BY BARBARA GREENBERG

During the recent International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease held in Chicago, the results of one study of patients grabbed national attention.

Early-stage Alzheimer’s patients were studied at the University of Kansas Medical Center to measure the effects of physical fitness. The study found those who did well on a treadmill test had less brain shrinkage than those who did poorly.

Dr. Sam Gandy, chairman of the medical and scientific advisory council of the Alzheimer’s Association, was not surprised by these findings.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Gandy said the results coincided with other studies that show lifestyle choices that positively impact heart health also benefit the brain.

The benefits of exercise for everyone from toddlers to seniors have been touted for years. For those suffering from Alzheimer’s, the impact of physical fitness on the progression of the disease is more significant than previously realized.

According to the Mayo Clinic Web site, “Mounting evidence suggests that physical activity may have benefits beyond a healthy heart and body weight … Exercise which raises your heart rate for at least 30 minutes several times a week can lower your risk of Alzheimer’s.”

Nancy McMahon, chairman of the Illiana Alzheimer’s Fund, said the study results made “common sense.

“Exercise is good for all of us,” she said. “If it’s a preventative measure against Alzheimer’s, it’s a reasonable thing to do. It’s easy enough to do.”

McMahon also serves as caregiver to her husband, who has suffered from the disease since 1994.

“It’s a simple thing to just walk with a loved one, enjoy your time together,” she said.

Carle Clinic — Danville’s Dr. Thomas Herrmann diagnoses, treats and helps manage Alzheimer’s in his psychiatric practice. He agreed that exercise can benefit patients with the disease, but he has some advice for both patients and their caretakers.

“Some think of it as work,” Herrmann said. “It’s necessary to make it rewarding and enjoyable.”

The Kansas study focused on patients who exercised on a treadmill. Herrmann agreed with McMahon that exercise includes a variety of activities.

“It can be walking the dog or parking the car at the far end of the lot at the mall,” he said. “One of the best exercises for older people is dancing.

“Dancing provides physical exercise and also socialization. People have to focus, to concentrate. Ballroom dancing is probably one of the most appropriate ways to accomplish this.”

Herrmann sees exercise as a way to preserve the brain, not necessarily prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s. “It slows the process,” he said.

That alone may be significant. Medications currently available don’t cure the disease — they just relieve the symptoms.

Dr. Ronald Peterson, director of Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Research Center, said, “Regular physical exercise is probably the best means we have of preventing Alzheimer’s disease today, better than medications, better than intellectual activity, better than supplements and diet.”

The search continues for effective drug treatments to help those with Alzheimer’s.

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