Walk off the Cholesterol and Increase Cognitive memory by Pauline Robinson

In the second JAMA study, researchers at the University of

Virginia School of Medicine looked at the association between

walking exercise and the risk of dementia in men aged 71 to 93.

The Virginia team collected three years of exercise data on more

than 2,200 men enrolled in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. At the

outset of the study, none of the men had been diagnosed with

dementia or conditions that would prevent them from walking

(such as stroke or Parkinson's disease). Over the course of several

years, two follow up examinations were conducted to assess

neurological health.

Almost 160 of the men developed dementia during the study

period. Researchers found that men who walked between a quarter

mile and one mile per day had a lower risk of dementia than those

who walked less than a quarter mile each day. But in the case of

this study, more was clearly better because men who walked less

than a quarter mile per day had nearly TWICE the risk of dementia

compared to those who walked more than two miles each day.

------------------------------------------------------------

Walking cholesterol down

------------------------------------------------------------

What is it about taking a daily walk that might prevent cognitive

decline and dementia? It could have something to do with

cholesterol's association to Alzheimer's disease.

Previous research has suggested that high cholesterol levels may

increase the level of a certain protein that is abnormally processed

by people with Alzheimer's disease. This abnormal processing sets

off a chain reaction that causes a peptide to accumulate and form

tangles that can kill brain cells.

A Georgetown University Medical Center study showed how

high cholesterol levels significantly increase the rate at which these

tangles are formed. In addition, the researchers concluded that high

cholesterol also increases the production of a different protein that

transports cholesterol out of the cell. And while that's a normal

function, in this situation it results in an unfortunate increase of

free cholesterol, which has a toxic effect on nerve cells.

Of course, daily exercise is one of the best and safest ways to

control cholesterol levels. Neither the Harvard nor the Virginia

researchers speculated on why regular exercise through walking

might have helped prevent cognitive decline and dementia, but it

seems likely that reducing cholesterol levels may have come into

play.

Go to Page 1

BIO:

Pauline Robinson is a Nutritional and Health Consultant for HealthSmart Nutrition http://www.air-water-nutrition-healthsmart.com
For more health information check out the on-line encyclopedia of natural health. http://www.healthsmart-nutrition.com/developer2004/home/index.php?site_id=1&go_id=2&take_id=5

Some Aditional Articles you may enjoy

IBS Seriously Impacts Daily Life by Dr. Maia Dodds

The Internet could be a beacon of light when all seems hopeless. by Jesse S. Somer

How To Stay Fit While Working From Home by Lynn Bode

How to Meditate by Janet K. Ilacqau

6 Practices for Achieving Excellent Self-Care by ADD Management Coach Jennifer Koretsky

Click a Number to go to an article index page
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39