Exercise Doesn't Slow Cognitive Decline in Patients with Dementia

By Kelly Young

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, DFASAM

Intense exercise doesn't appear to improve cognition in patients with dementia, and it might even hasten their decline, a study in The BMJ suggests.

Roughly 500 patients with mild-to-moderate dementia were randomized to receive either usual care or a moderate-to-high-intensity exercise intervention. The intervention consisted of 4 months of twice-weekly supervised group activity in a gym with weights and an exercise cycle, plus 60 minutes weekly of home exercise. For the next 8 months, exercise participants were encouraged to exercise on their own for 150 minutes a week.

At 12 months, the exercise group had worse cognition scores than the usual care group, but the authors note that the clinical relevance is unknown. Roughly 7% of exercise patients experienced an adverse event, including exercise-induced angina, falls, and worsening hip pain.

The authors conclude: "Although moderate to high intensity exercise improves physical fitness, no clinical outcomes that we studied responded in a positive direction."