Training Helps With Dementia Issue in Aged People

“Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities” defines CDC.

Dementia is caused by neuro-degeneration – the damage and death of the brain’s neurons (brain cells). Depending on the types of neurons and brain regions affected, the form of dementia differs. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. It mostly affects older adults. In the brains of patients with advanced Alzheimer’s, there is widespread degeneration and damage to the hippocampus – a part of the brain essential to memory formation and which produces new neurons.

However, neurons (brain cells) can be re-born (it’s called Neurogenesis) at any age. Neuro plasticity (changes in brain) can happen at any age.

Training helps with dementia in aged persons. Experts agree that what’s good for your heart is also good for your brain. This means one can help reduce risk of dementia by eating a healthy, balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, keeping alcohol within recommended limits, stopping smoking and keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level.

Neurogenesis happens with 2 things. Fuel (glucose & oxygen) and Activation (stimulation).

Neurons that are next to each other ACTIVATE each other.

Training (movement) leads to a lot activation in many areas of the brain (cortex, cerebellum, brain stem). New movements lead to new activations and training intensity can amplify these activations.

In Dementia, parts of the brain that are inhibited can be activated through all this. We can also do specific/targeted activation through movement, vision, vestibular and breathing work and much more.

Training also leads to better blood glucose management (helps with Alzheimer’s) and oxygen delivery to the brain (especially cardio).

Cardio at higher intensities also helps form BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) which helps with neuro-genesis.

Poor sleep quality increases the chances of dementia as per the research in any age group. So have strategies in place to improve sleep. And of course exercise can be a huge part of it along with other lifestyle and training and supplementation strategies. This article pertains to training and so we’ll cover sleep in another detailed article about sleep.

Several prospective studies have looked at middle-aged people and the effects of physical exercise on their thinking and memory in later life. Combining the results of these studies shows that regular training and exercise can significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia.

As per me, dementia can also be reversed and so it’s definitely preventable. Please contact me to learn what I and my team AbhiFit in Dubai can do for you and your elder family members and anyone who you know who might be suffering from dementia.

Also, please contact me to learn what we can do through our nutrition and personal training services for kids, teens, adults, elders, athletes and models in Dubai and online across the UAE and around the world to achieve your fat loss, weight loss, muscle gain, strength gain, rehab and figure / physique transformation goals.

Many female and male clients including kids, teens, adults and elderly people have greatly benefited from Abhinav’s strong experience as a top personal trainer and nutritionist in Dubai, UAE. You can see some of his client transformations here.

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