A new study of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease reports that sedentary patients show significant deterioration in MMSE total score compared to more active patients, and that walking on a regular basis appears to stabilize cognitive decline (Winchester et al. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2013;56:96-103). A total of 104 AD patients were followed over a 12-month period and categorized as Active or Sedentary based on Yale Physical Activity Survey scores.
Active patients who walked more than two hours per week had significant improvement in MMSE scores whereas Sedendary patients had significant worsening of MMSE scores.