Still Another Study Connecting Physical Activity with Alzheimer's Prevention

This past week, the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia published the results of a study that related lifetime physical activity with the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia.  Not surprisingly to us, it found that "increased" and "always high" levels of leisure time physical activity provided a protective effect against Alzheimer's disease.  ("Always high" indicated people who were active all their lives, not always high intensity.)

The study involved 1,345 older adults who reported varying amounts of leisure time physical activity throughout their lives.  High and low levels of activity were considered, both recent and early in life.  The study concluded that "'Increased' and 'always high' levels of leisure time physical activity were associated with reduced Alzheimer's disease risk..."

One statement surprised me: There was a health benefit in Alzheimer's disease prevention by performing light and moderate [leisure time physical activities]."  So what about more aggressive activity?

I wasn't willing to pay $36 to buy the article, so I relied on the summary information I got for free.  (They didn't even say where the research was done, but the investigators were all from Columbia University.)  So did they find that there was no protective effect from more strenuous activity?  Or did they not want to report on its value in the summary material for fear of turning away people who might be intimidated by strenuous physical activity?

I will be watching to see if more information leaks out under the paywall...