瑞典研究人员10月3日表示，中年人每周有规律地进行体育锻炼不仅有助于减轻体重及维护心脏健康，同时也能降低其日后患阿尔茨海默症（老年痴呆症）的危险。而这尤其适用于那些容易得这种病的高危人群。

    据路透社10月3日报道，瑞典卡罗林斯卡研究院的科学家们发现，那些每周至少进行两次体育锻炼的中年人与那些更喜欢久坐的人相比，前者患老年痴呆症的危险要低大约60％。对此，该研究院老龄问题研究中心的基维佩尔托博士表示：“这一研究首次揭示出了体育活动和人们日后患痴呆症两者间具有长期的关系。”

    报道说，这项发表在新一期《柳叶刀：神经病学》杂志上的研究结果显示，那些对痴呆症具有遗传易感性的人受到的效果最为明显。遗传易感性是指由遗传决定的易于罹患某种（某类）疾病的倾向性。

    基维佩尔托博士还补充说，研究结果说明，身体活动对那些APOE4基因易感人群拥有更为显著的效果。APOE4基因片断常见于阿尔茨海默症患者，而普通人体内携带的则是APOE3基因。

    在研究过程中，基维佩尔托博士和她的研究小组共分析了大约1500人的精神健康状况，这些人的年龄从65岁至79岁不等。从1972年至1987年间，这些人的休闲活动每5年被监控一次。1998年研究人员对这些资料数据进行了再次检查后发现，积极进行身体锻炼被调查者，其患老年痴呆症的危险性较小。

    对此，基维佩尔托博士解释说，我们发现那些在中年时期非常活跃且每周至少进行两次休闲运动的人，其患痴呆症，尤其是阿尔茨海默症的危险要小很多。而散步和骑脚踏车是此项研究中涉及到的最为普遍的运动形式。

    报道说，目前全球大约有1200万人受到阿尔茨海默症的困扰。目前，还没有能够治愈这种疾病的办法，但是依靠药物治疗可以延缓这种疾病的早期进程。

    Exercising in middle age not only keeps the weight down and the heart healthy but can also cut the risk of suffering from Alzheimer's disease, particularly in high risk people, Swedish researchers said on Monday.

    Scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that people in mid-life who exercised at least twice a week had about a 60 percent lower risk of suffering from dementia than more sedentary people.

    This is the first study to show this long-term relation between physical activity and dementia later in life," Dr Miia Kivipelto, of the Aging Research Center at the institute, said in an interview.

    The biggest impact was in people who had a genetic susceptibility to dementia, according to the study published in The Lancet Neurology journal.

    "It seems that physical activity had an even more pronounced effect among those with the susceptibility gene apoe4, the most important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and dementia," Kivipelto added.

    Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. It affects an estimated 12 million people around the globe. There is no cure for the progressive illness that robs people of their memory and mental ability but drug treatments may slow the early progression of the disorder.

    Kivipelto and her team studied the mental health of nearly 1,500 people between the ages of 65-79 whose leisure activities had been monitored every five years from 1972 to 1987.

    After re-examining the data in 1998 they discovered the active group, which did a physical activity that caused sweating and strained breathing, were less likely to suffer from Alzheimer's.

    "We found that people who were active during mid-life and had leisure activities at least two times per week had a much lower risk for dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease," she explained.

    Walking and cycling were the most common forms of exercise in the study. The researchers found no link between the amount of exercise and the degree of reduced risk.

    They do not know exactly how exercise decreases dementia risk. But they suspect it could be due to a direct effect on the brain and its messaging system and also by improving blood flow to the brain.