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Daily physical activity may lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline, even in people over the age of 80, a new study found.

Protective activities include cooking, washing dishes, playing cards - even moving a wheelchair. People who scored in the bottom 10 percent of physical activity were more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease, according to a study conducted by neurological researchers from Rush University Medical Center. 

"Our study shows that physical activity, which is an easily modifiable risk factor, is associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. This has important public health consequences," said Dr. Aron S. Buchman, lead author of the study and professor of neurological sciences at Rush. "These results provide support for efforts to encourage all types of physical activity even in very old adults who might not be able to participate in formal exercise, but can still benefit from a more active lifestyle."

This is the first study to use an objective measurement of physical activity in addition to self-reporting. It is important because people may not be able to remember the details correctly, said Buchaman.

To measure total daily exercise and non-exercise physical activity, the researchers asked 716 older individuals without dementia with an average age of 82 to wear a device called an actigraph, which monitors activity, on their non-dominant wrist continuously for 10 days.

All exercise and non-exercise physical activity was recorded. Study participants also were given annual cognitive tests during this ongoing study to measure memory and thinking abilities. Participants also self-reported their physical and social activities.

Study participants were individuals from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, an ongoing, longitudinal community study of common chronic conditions of old age.

Over a mean of 3.5 years of follow-up, 71 participants developed Alzheimer’s disease.

The research found that people in the bottom 10 percent of daily physical activity were more than twice as likely (2.3 times) to develop Alzheimer’s disease as people in the top 10 percent of daily activity.

The study also showed that those individuals in the bottom 10 percent of intensity of physical activity were almost three times (2.8 times) as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as people in the top percent of the intensity of physical activity.

“Since the actigraph was attached to the wrist, activities like cooking, washing the dishes, playing cards and even moving a wheelchair with a person’s arms were beneficial," he added."These are low-cost, easily accessible and side-effect free activities people can do at any age, including very old age, to possibly prevent Alzheimer’s.”

The study was published in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology on April 18.