New evidence suggests this may be one of the best ways to ward off the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and improve cognitive performance
New studies indicate that frequent exercise at the gym could play an important role in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. A Californian research group discovered that individuals with higher lean muscle mass appear less prone to developing this condition.
The genetic data analyzed by Dr. Iyas Daghlas and colleagues shows that individuals with lifelong higher lean muscle mass exhibited a 12 percent reduced likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease and demonstrated superior cognitive abilities.
The team assessed data from more than a million volunteers, which comprised 450,243 individuals from the UK Biobank with extensive DNA details. They employed a method known as “Mendelian randomization” to analyze the data, looking at variations associated with specific risk factors.
Lean muscle mass can be a genetic trait or built through resistance exercises like weightlifting, paired with a nutritious diet. In light of projections suggesting that dementia cases may exceed 150 million by 2050, with a third attributable to preventable factors such as midlife weight gain, there is an increased emphasis on lifestyle choices that can potentially protect against these conditions.
“Despite the consistent rise in Alzheimer’s prevalence, we currently have no effective treatments for this debilitating disease,” explains Dr. Daghlas. “The identification of modifiable risk factors and prevention of Alzheimer’s is therefore a crucial public health objective.”
Weight gain fosters inflammation and is linked to an upsurge in neuron-damaging proteins called amyloid beta. Moreover, reduced lean muscle mass levels have been related to dementia. This study uncovers fresh insights regarding the correlation between muscle mass and Alzheimer’s disease.
They found that individuals with more lean muscle mass were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The results were “statistically significant” even after controlling for factors like age, sex, and genetic heritage.
The findings of the study reveal “new evidence supporting a causal relationship between lean mass and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. They debunk the notion that fat mass has a significant effect on the risk of Alzheimer’s and underscore the importance of distinguishing between lean and fat mass when investigating the impact of adiposity measures on health outcomes,” write the authors.
Comprehending the biological mechanisms underlying this could facilitate the creation of targeted treatments. The research indicates that several factors could mediate this effect, including the influence of cardiometabolic risk factors or the secretion of myokines – proteins released during intense physical activity.
“Potentially relevant secreted myokines include irisin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor 5, and cathepsin B. Identifying the key causal pathways might lead to the development of treatments that leverage and enhance the neuroprotective effects of lean mass,” point out the authors.
Researchers warn that more studies are needed before these findings can be used to guide public health strategies or clinical practice, given that it’s still uncertain whether augmenting lean mass can counteract Alzheimer’s disease pathology.
Nevertheless, if these findings are substantiated by future research, “public health efforts to increase lean mass across the population, potentially through campaigns promoting exercise and physical activity, might reduce the population burden of Alzheimer’s disease,” the researchers summarized in a press release.
The results of the study were published in BMJMedicine.
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