Walk a few miles a week to maintain your brain volume

Published online prior to publication by Pittsburgh investigator Erikson in the journal Neurology yesterday is a study reporting the link between physical activity and brain volume and function in the elderly. The 299 participants examined, averaging age 78 at the time the study began, were part of a study of cardiovascular health. The investigators looked at the relationship between physical activity, brain volume, and cognitive function. They split participants into 4 groups according to how much they walked during an average week (the range was 0-300 blocks per week). Brain scans were done 9 years later and cognitive function tests were done 13 years later. Yes, folks, you read that right, 9 and 13 years. These authors certainly cannot be accused of short follow up periods. Those who had been doing more walking maintained greater brain volume, associated with better cognitive function than those who did not walk a lot. Increasing amounts of walking up until 72 blocks per week were associated with improvements in brain volume and cognitive function. Greater amounts of walking than 72 blocks did not result in further increases in brain volume. So, keep trotting, trekkers!

Modifiable factors in stroke risk

The INTERSTROKE study, an international study of stroke risk factors was recently published in the Lancet, and shows as you might have expected the modifiable risk factors which play the greatest role in stroke risk. The number one factor is high blood pressure, which can be reduced by reducing salt intake and exercising more, and if that doesn't work, taking medications to reduce blood pressure. Smoking, abdominal obesity (fat around the middle!), diet, and reduced physical activity were other factors which together with high blood pressure accounted for 80% of ischemic stroke risk (ischemic stroke means a stroke that happens because of a reduction of oxygen flow to the brain, usually due to a clot in a blood vessel), and 90% of the risk of having a hemorrhagic stroke (due to bleeding into the brain) in the study.
Additional risk factors for a clot-type stroke included diabetes, alcohol intake, psychosocial factors, the ratio of apolipoproteins B to A1, and other heart diseases (arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, previous heart attack, and valve disease). Hypertension, smoking, abdominal obesity, diet, and alcohol intake were the most important risk factors for a stroke due to bleeding into the brain. '

Anything new here? No! But it's interesting to note that these results were the same all around the world.