Betty DuPriest certainly doesn’t mind that people have noticed that she’s in better shape lately, but that isn’t really why she goes to the gym five times every week.
“I just want to be able to take care of myself as long as possible,” she says.
DuPriest, 70, retired in 2004 to spend time with and take care of her mother, who died in February 2005, a year after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
In the wake of her grief, DuPriest started an exercise plan.
It wasn’t Alzheimer’s in particular that DuPriest was trying to avoid by raising her fitness level, but research shows that by exercising she may be reducing her risk of developing it.
Reading, working crossword puzzles, playing Sudoku and other mind-stimulating activities have long been shown to help fight Alzheimer’s by strengthening brain cells and the connections between them, but staying fit may help just as much.
A report from the National Institutes of Health says that controlling cardiovascular risk factors is important for maintaining brain health. Reducing blood pressure, losing weight, lowering cholesterol, treating or avoiding diabetes and quitting smoking are key, according to the report, which also notes a close correlation between physical activity and brain health.
“There is compelling research to demonstrate that maybe the single most powerful lifestyle thing that most anyone can do to prevent Alzheimer’s disease is exercise,” says William Evans, professor of geriatrics, nutrition and physiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. “The interesting thing about that is that it maybe doesn’t require a whole lot, but the studies show that there is a significant difference between those who don’t walk or walk less than three times a week in the progression towards Alzheimer’s disease.” Studies so far have been observational, says Evans, meaning that they looked at a large population and determined which people had exercised and which had not, and of those, how many had developed Alzheimer’s.
“They look at those who have been active and those who have not been active and they see that, in fact, physical activity time and time again is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” Evans says. “So we have lots of good evidence that it’s a powerful predictor, but the thing that we don’t have yet is the kind of randomized controlled trials to put some people in an exercise group and some in a non-exercise group and see if there’s a slower progression.” The big question for many researchers is whether a reduction in physical activity causes cognitive impairment or whether cognitive impairment causes a reduction in activity.
“It may be that those people that exercise are a little bit different from those who don’t exercise, for whatever reason, and maybe they’re the people who don’t get Alzheimer’s,” Evans says.
Evans is working with a group made up of the American Alzheimer’s Association and the Keep Memory Alive Foundation, based in Las Vegas, to put together a randomized controlled trial to see if there is actual proof that exercise matters.
“We’re in the midst of starting to put together what the groups are going to be and starting some pilot studies around the nation to see what kinds of interventions people will actually follow,” Evans says. “There is a lot of energy moving in this way, I think, and our hope is that we’ll have a final study designed by the end of this year, and be able to start moving forward with recruiting subjects.” TIME WELL SPENT Priscilla Pittman, program coordinator for Alzheimer’s Arkansas, isn’t waiting around to hear the results of that long-term study.
“I feel like it’s something we have some control over,” Pittman says. “With what I see with Alzheimer’s, it’s worth taking the time to take good care of yourself. I think you need to manage your stress, eat right, exercise — all those things that help us be healthy.” Pittman talks with people around the state about coping with — and slowing down — progressive dementia, like Alzheimer’s, and she harps on the importance of a good diet and a fitness regimen.
Her mother has dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease, and Pittman has pursued a healthy lifestyle in part because she hopes to avoid getting sick.
At 65, Pittman runs marathons and works out vigorously. She plans her meals carefully, consuming little processed food and making much of what she eats ahead of time, from scratch.
“A lot of people are really doing that,” she says. “I was sitting in the sauna this morning after working out and there were four other people there who were saying it’s a hard life to live, to not go to fast food places and to not eat processed foods. We cook ahead, we plan ahead, we bring our own lunches, we do all of these things to protect ourselves, and we exercise. Some people say, well, it’s an addiction. Well, give me a break. Which one would you prefer ?” She’s not positive that her lifestyle will keep her from developing dementia someday. But she can’t help but think her sacrifices will make her healthier, and that’s what she tells the Arkansans she meets through her job.
“Why put a Band-Aid on something you can start off treating ? You know, I may end up with Alzheimer’s disease, but I’m having such a good time,” she says. “At this point we’re still trying to find the answers.” The American Heart Association and its American Stroke Association division and the Alzheimer’s Association have teamed up for a public awareness campaign targeting black Americans, who have a higher incidence than white Americans of stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease — conditions that can damage blood vessels.
The campaign Web site, www. alz. org / heartbrain / overview h 2. asp, says that conditions that threaten to damage the heart and its blood vessels also threaten to damage the brain and its blood vessels, increasing the chance of stroke and Alzheimer’s.
Cheryl Bledsaw, state director for the Alzheimer’s Association Oklahoma / Arkansas Chapter, leads some of that organization’s workshops, like the Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain seminar scheduled for May 3 in Fort Smith. The daylong event will be held in the Elm Grove Community Center, 1901 Greenwood Ave.
“The focus will be on African-Americans. I’m going to say, ‘ Listen up, guys. If it’s good for your heart, it’s good for your brain, ’” Bledsaw says.
Bledsaw tells the groups she addresses that stress, anxiety and depression can lead to certain forms of dementia and that social interaction is crucial for people as they age.
“You can’t just retire and sit in your recliner and watch TV — your brain cells die,” she says.
MOM KNOWS BEST Chuck Hicks, 58, of North Little Rock has stayed fit since high school, and says his soon-to-be 85-year-old mother is his role model. “She still works and goes to the gym,” Hicks says. Hicks practices a “5 and 5” routine — each day, he does weight training at 5 a.m. and a cardio workout at 5 p.m. He says his diet “is not what you’d put in a health magazine.” He eats in moderation and lets his exercise plan take care of the rest.
“The thing that I’ve always heard and always subscribed to is ‘ Sound body, sound mind, ’” Hicks says. “The benefits, especially as you grow older, become invaluable.” Insurance companies are realizing the benefits of exercise for older adults as well. The Silver-Sneakers Fitness Program, founded in 1992, is available for free to people in participating Medicare health plans or Medicare Supplement carriers, and includes a free basic membership at participating fitness centers. The program offers conditioning classes, exercise equipment, pool and sauna access and health education seminars as well as social activities.
“Exercise alone has been proven to help if you have depression, but also the social element of getting together with people that exercise or just for the social programs that we do helps,” says Lauren Thrift, director and senior adviser for the SilverSneakers program at the Heflin YMCA Family Center in North Little Rock. “It all ties in together — you really can’t separate one from the other. We try to do more of a rounded wellness program rather than just telling people to come to fitness class and then they’re done.” Hicks works out at the North Little Rock Athletic Club, which has just begun offering a Silver-Sneakers program.
DuPriest says the SilverSneakers program at Heflin has made it much easier for her to stay fit. She has taken various fitness classes over the years, at one time even taking up belly dancing for exercise, but none as consistently as the SilverSneakers classes she has taken for the last year.
“It’s a lot more fun when you’re with a group of people that you can relate to,” DuPriest says.
Those workouts that might help her delay or prevent Alzheimer’s or dementia have toned DuPriest’s muscles, and they are also helping with other health issues. Her bone density test results have improved since she started exercising regularly, and she has heard other retirees in the group say their blood pressure and arthritis pain have been reduced.
“And you still have a reason to get up in the morning,” she says. “You’ve got your class, and it’s kind of like your job. I mean, you don’t necessarily have to be there, but you want to, and it’s something you need to do.”
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