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People who only exercise on weekends have a similar risk of developing a mild form dementia to those who exercise more frequently, according to a new study.

Weekend warriors who participate in one or two exercise sessions per week were the focus of the study, published online Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

A team of academics from Latin America and Europe sought to determine whether the frequency of physical exercise affected the risk of developing mild dementia.

Researchers found that not only was staying fit on weekends potentially as effective at avoiding illness, but it may also be easier to achieve for people with busy lifestyles.

The scientists examined two survey data sets from the Mexico Prospective Study, a longitudinal study that tracked the health of thousands of people in the Mexican capital over many years. The first survey took place between 1998 and 2004, and the second, among the same people, began in 2015 and ended four years later.

A total of 10,033 people, with an average age of 51 years, participated in the surveys and their responses were included in the study.

In the first survey, participants were asked if they exercised, how often, and for how long.

Based on their responses, the researchers divided respondents into four groups: those who did not exercise at all; weekend warriors who played sports or exercised once or twice a week; regularly active people, who exercised at least three times a week; and a combined group of regularly active people and weekend warriors.

In the second survey, respondents’ cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination, which the study says is “probably the most widely used tool for screening for cognitive and dementia in the elderly.

Similar results for men and women

Researchers found that people who exercised on weekends were 13% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who didn’t exercise at all, while regularly active people and those in the group combined were 12% less likely to do so. The results were similar for men and women.

The results led the team to conclude that 13% of cases of mild dementia could be prevented if all middle-aged people exercised at least once or twice a week.

Lead author Gary O’Donovan, an assistant professor at the University of the Andes School of Medicine in Colombia, told CNN that about half of weekend warriors reported exercising during at least 30 minutes per session, while the rest practiced for about an hour or more each time.

Compared to the group that didn’t exercise, weekend warriors were 13% less likely to develop mild dementia, and those in the regular and combined groups were 12% less likely. O’Donovan said these were “average values” and the “margins of error overlap.” In other words, he said, “there are similar reductions in risk across groups.”

“We found that the weekend warrior physical activity pattern and the regularly active physical activity pattern were associated with similar reductions in mild dementia risks after adjusting for confounding factors,” the authors wrote. researchers.

These confounders included a range of factors that may affect the relationship between cognition and physical activity, such as age, gender, education and body mass index.

The researchers went on to say: “To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first prospective cohort study to show that the weekend warrior physical activity pattern and the regularly active physical activity pattern are associated to similar reductions in the risk of mild dementia. .”

Commenting on the importance of the study, O’Donovan said: “The warrior’s physical activity pattern across the weekend is important because lack of time is a major barrier to participating in more sport and of exercise. Surveys of men and women around the world suggest that two-thirds of adults would like to do more but simply don’t have the time.

“I have long wanted to correct the misconception that one size fits all when it comes to exercise. I believe that weekend warriors everywhere should know that what they are doing is right.

He added: “Research on weekend warriors is starting to pile up now. Clearly the health benefits are about the same as if he exercised more often.

According to the study, the researchers believe their findings could “have important implications for policy and practice, as the weekend physical activity pattern could be a more practical option for busy people in Latin America and elsewhere “.

Their findings echo a recent larger study that suggests weekend workouts could be as effective as more regular exercise when it comes to reducing the risk of developing more than 200 diseases. These scientists, who published their findings in the journal Traffic in September, used data from UK Biobank project to reach their conclusions.

Chris Russell, senior lecturer at the Association for Dementia Studies at the University of Worcester in the UK, hailed the research as encouraging, saying “more research needs to be done (on dementia) in countries with middle or low income”, like Mexico. Russell was not involved in the study.

“There is evidence that physical activity can help prevent dementia,” he said, explaining that informal activities such as dancing and walking can be beneficial, as can team sports and other activities. of physical fitness.

Besides the physical benefits of exercise, there’s also the companionship and socialization with others that staying fit often involves, which would help prevent cognitive decline, Russell said.

He said there is good evidence that “physical activity can prevent dementia”, but added that “this is by no means certain”, noting that other risk factors, such as diet and smoking, must also be taken into account.

More than 55 million people currently suffer from dementia worldwide, with almost 10 million new cases diagnosed each year, according to the WHO. World Health Organization.