Early detection of Alzheimer’s

2008-07-29 04:20:01 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Health & Fitness)

Chicago, Illinois (WiredPRNews.com) — According to researchers, people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s who have a fit body are likely to have less shrinkage in the parts of brain that are crucial for memory.

Through studies, it has been found that exercise and fitness slow the rate of changes in the brain that take place due to aging. According to one of the latest findings, people with early detection of the disease benefit quite a lot.

According to the chairman of Scientific Advisory Council and Alzheimer’s medical association, Dr Sam Gandy, “The message is essentially if you have Alzheimer’s disease, it’s not too late to become physically fit.”

Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center have found the relationship between brain volume and fitness in healthy adults through the early detection of the disease.

The researchers also measured the cardiovascular fitness based on treadmill tests. These tests were done with the help of the measurement of oxygen consumption in the human body. They measured brain volume using magnetic imaging also known as an MRI scan. This imaging tool helps to give doctors an accurate depiction of the key areas of the brain that are associated with memory, including hippocampus.

The outcome of Alzheimer’s disease was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Chicago. With Alzheimer’s, it is commonly seen that the hippocampus is one of the prime areas of brain sustaining damage.

They also discovered that people who have an early detection test and are physically fit have more brain volume in the areas which are crucial to memory than people who are less fit. The conclusion drawn by the researchers is that fitness can help largely in the recovery of this disease.

Wired Health Reporter