A simple activity beats dementia

Growing older brings a host of concerns, but few are as terrifying as dementia.

What if there was one simple activity that could cut your risk significantly — even if it runs in your family?

A new study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reveals just that.

Researchers found that boosting your cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) — how efficiently your heart and lungs deliver oxygen to your muscles during exercise — can reduce your dementia risk by 40%, regardless of genetics.

To explore this connection, scientists analyzed data from over 61,000 adults aged 39–70 in the UK Biobank study. None had dementia at the start.

Here’s what they did:

• Fitness Levels: Participants completed a six-minute stationary bike test and were divided into low, moderate, and high-fitness groups.

• Tracking Dementia: Over 12 years, researchers tracked dementia cases via medical records.

• Genetic Risk: They assessed genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease for deeper insights.

• Sharper Brains: Participants with high CRF performed better on cognitive tests from the start.

• Lower Dementia Risk: Only 128 of the 20,200 high-fitness individuals developed dementia, compared to 233 in the low-fitness group. High CRF lowered dementia risk by 40%.

• Delayed Onset: High CRF delayed dementia by 1.5 years compared to low CRF.

• Help for Genetic Risk: Even those genetically predisposed to dementia saw a 35% reduced risk if they had high CRF.

Why does fitness help your brain?

Although the exact mechanisms aren’t fully understood, researchers suggest:

1. Better Blood Flow: Fitness improves brain blood flow, reducing damage and neurodegeneration risks.

2. Heart-Healthy Benefits: Exercise keeps your heart and blood vessels strong, lowering dementia risk.

3. Brain-Boosting Chemicals: Physical activity may trigger chemicals that protect and repair brain cells.

Interestingly, I teach people to get all three of the above benefits and boost their brain health but without strenuous exercises. Been teaching this for decades and helped hundreds of people.

Here’s exactly how our readers reversed their dementia using this simple approach…