A study at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine indicated that physical and mental activity may affect the development of this disease. Lifestyle histories of 193 Alzheimer's patients were collected and compared with those of 353 people without Alzheimer's. The study found that between age 20 and 60, those who now had Alzheimer's were nearly four times as likely as those who do not to fall below an established average activity level.
Activities calculated in the study included: (1) passive activities like watching television, talking on the phone, going to church, 2) intellectual activities such as reading, knitting, and playing a musical instrument, and 3) physical activities like gardening, walking, jogging, biking, swimming, and competitive sports. The only activity that those with Alzheimer's had done significantly more of throughout their lifetimes that those without Alzheimer's was watching television.
Even if it does not prevent Alzheimer's, I think that physical and mental activity may delay the onset of the disease and/or prolong the quality of life for much longer. I think we are seeing that in a generation of early-onset patients as I did not see it in my mother who was less active both mentally and physically. Along with help of medications like Aricept and Excelon, we are seeing early-onset Alzheimer's patients keeping mentally active online, in chat groups as well as creating their own Web pages. In reading their online journals, we see that many of them also keep physically active, taking walks and doing other exercise. I am amazed at all they are still able to do, even as some of them are years into the disease. There is so much hope these days, with new medications, the possibility of a vaccine, and more new research findings in the news all the time.
And our lifestyles today should give us hope as well, for most of us have jobs that require our being mentally active, and many of us take some time out for being physically active as well. As a librarian, I expect to be mentally active for years, and though it's hard to find time, I do try to make it to the gym on campus two or three times a week for a good work-out (a necessity since the last couple of years of physical exams have indicated high blood pressure and high cholesterol). As many of you, I'm sure, I am not a couch potato and I prefer the to spend practically all my free time on the computer rather than watching television.
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