Abstract
Increasing physical activity is one of the most promising and challenging interventions to delay or prevent cognitive decline and dementia.
Methods
We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of a physical activity intervention, aimed at increasing step count, in elderly with low levels of physical activity on measures of strength, balance, aerobic capacity, and cognition. Participants were assigned to 9 months of exercise counseling or active control.
Results
The intention-to-treat analyses show that the intervention, compared to control, increases the level of physical activity, but has no significant effect on physical fitness and cognition. Those who increased their physical activity with 35% or more show significant improvements in aerobic capacity, gait speed, verbal memory, executive functioning, and global cognition, compared to those who did not achieve a 35% increase.
Limitations
The number of participants that achieved the intended improvement was lower than expected.
Conclusion
Responder analyses suggest an improvement of physical fitness and cognition in those who achieved an increase in physical activity of at least 35%.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 12 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-23 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Journal | Alzheimer's Research & Therapy |
| Volume | 15 |
| Early online date | 11 Jan 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Funding
The authors would like to thank all participants for their invaluable contribution to this study. We would like to express our gratitude to all people involved in the process of participant recruitment and data collection including research assistants, exercise counselors, health care professionals, and senior service organizations in the municipalities of Amsterdam and Rucphen. Participant recruitment was further extended with the help of Alzheimer Nederland, and with the professional assistance of Hersenonderzoek.nl (www.hersenonderzoek.nl). Hersenonderzoek.nl is funded by ZonMw-Memorabel (project number 73305095003), a project in the context of the Dutch Deltaplan Dementie, Gieskes-Strijbis Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Society in the Netherlands, and Brain Foundation Netherlands. The authors are grateful to the municipality of Rucphen for their assistance in participant recruitment and the facilitation of the local research facility. We would like to thank Star-SHL, Atal Medial, and Amsterdam UMC for the collection and handling of the serum samples and the Department of Clinical Chemistry of the Amsterdam UMC, for the assessment of APOE genotype, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor 1. Lastly, we are indebted to Prof. Dr. M. de Greef and the CBO for the opportunity to apply the COACH method and benefit from their experience and expertise. The work described here is funded in the Netherlands by the Organization for the Health Research and Development (ZonMw) as part of the project Memorabel (Dementia research and innovation program—grant 733050303) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program as part of the CoSTREAM project (Common mechanisms and pathways in Stroke and Alzheimer’s disease www.costream.eu , grant 667375). Additional funding is provided by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Erasmus Medical Center and Erasmus University Rotterdam. The funders of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing and submission of the report. The authors would like to thank all participants for their invaluable contribution to this study. We would like to express our gratitude to all people involved in the process of participant recruitment and data collection including research assistants, exercise counselors, health care professionals, and senior service organizations in the municipalities of Amsterdam and Rucphen. Participant recruitment was further extended with the help of Alzheimer Nederland, and with the professional assistance of Hersenonderzoek.nl ( www.hersenonderzoek.nl ). Hersenonderzoek.nl is funded by ZonMw-Memorabel (project number 73305095003), a project in the context of the Dutch Deltaplan Dementie, Gieskes-Strijbis Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Society in the Netherlands, and Brain Foundation Netherlands. The authors are grateful to the municipality of Rucphen for their assistance in participant recruitment and the facilitation of the local research facility. We would like to thank Star-SHL, Atal Medial, and Amsterdam UMC for the collection and handling of the serum samples and the Department of Clinical Chemistry of the Amsterdam UMC, for the assessment of APOE genotype, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor 1. Lastly, we are indebted to Prof. Dr. M. de Greef and the CBO for the opportunity to apply the COACH method and benefit from their experience and expertise.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Brain Foundation Netherlands | |
| Organization for the Health Research and Development | |
| Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | 667375 |
| Amsterdam University Medical Centers | |
| Alzheimer's Society | |
| ZonMw | 733050303 |
| Gieskes-Strijbis Fonds |
Keywords
- Aging
- Cognition
- Physical activity
- physical fitness
- Apolipoprotein E
- Randomized controlled trial