Exercise May Reduce Chance of Alzheimer's Disease

Along with its many benefits to the body, studies reveal how exercise can support greater brain functioning as well.

Research has shown that exercise can have a beneficial impact on five chronic medical conditions − heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. But there is one other chronic medical condition for which exercise is equally helpful. It’s a condition that we seldom think about; in fact, one that we don’t even like to think, about let alone talk about…but one that many of us are deeply touched and impacted by. That condition is Alzheimer’s disease.     

“But I’m young, I'm fit and I'm healthy. Why do I need to care about Alzheimer’s?” Because as the American population ages, so too grows the number of people expected to develop this neurodegenerative disease. The Alzheimer’s Association states that in 2016, approx. 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. That’s 1 in 9 individuals age 65 and over. And by the year 2050, it is estimated that this number is projected to rise to 13.8 million, a nearly three-fold increase.