More than 7 million Americans live with some form of dementia, including Alzheimer\u2019s disease, according to a 2025 report from the Alzheimer\u2019s Association. There is no cure for dementia and given the rapid aging of the U.S. population, finding ways to reduce the risk of developing dementia is increasingly urgent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dementia is an umbrella term for several types of disorders that cause memory loss, with Alzheimer\u2019s disease being the most common. Unlike age-related memory impairment, such as forgetting a word or name, dementia is memory loss accompanied by a cognitive function affecting daily life, such as not being able to perform simple tasks or not recognizing familiar places or people.<\/p>\n
Certain lifestyle factors can reduce dementia risk, and one of them is regular exercise, said\u00a0David Reuben<\/a>, MD, director of the UCLA Geriatrics Medicine and Gerontology program.<\/p>\n He explained why exercise may be beneficial.\u00a0<\/p>\n Blood flow and chronic inflammation\u00a0<\/p>\n A type of dementia called vascular dementia is caused by strokes due to plaque in the arteries or other causes of stroke.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne way that exercise may be protective is by altering that vascular component,\u201d said Dr. Reuben. \u201cIt\u2019s well known that exercise is protective against heart disease \u2014 the buildup of plaque \u2014 and a good percentage of the population who has dementia has vascular dementia, or\u00a0mixed dementia where they often have Alzheimer\u2019s and vascular dementia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Chronic inflammation has also been linked to increased risk of dementia, and \u201cone possible intervention in the prevention of Alzheimer\u2019s disease is to reduce inflammation,\u201d Dr. Reuben said. Studies show that exercise can reduce inflammatory markers, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even short bouts of exercise can help.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a number of studies that show that you get some protective effect with actually relatively small amounts of exercise, even 20 to 30 minutes a day,\u201d said Dr. Reuben. \u201cAnd there are also studies that show the more exercise you do, the more protection you have.\u201d<\/p>\n Another question is how exercise may affect the\u00a0development of amyloid plaques, which play an important role in the beginning of Alzheimer\u2019s disease, he said. Researchers believe that Alzheimer\u2019s disease begins long before a person shows symptoms.\u00a0<\/p>\n Not surprisingly, Dr. Reuben is an exercise advocate. \u201cExercise on an ongoing basis, almost whenever you start in life, is a good idea,\u201d said Dr. Reuben.\u00a0<\/p>\n Exercising in mid- to late-life can be particularly effective at reducing the risk of dementia, according to a November 2025\u00a0study<\/a> published in JAMA Network. This could be due to the fact exercising in mid- or later in life may interrupt plaque buildup and chronic inflammation before they cause serious damage, Dr. Reuben suggested.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, he warns that anyone who takes up or resumes exercise at mid-life or later should begin slowly. \u201cDon’t start by immediately trying to do what you did 20 years ago,\u201d he said. \u201cThe best way is to gradually build up your exercise routine.\u201d<\/p>\n Other lifestyle factors<\/p>\n As important as exercise is, it is just one of several lifestyle changes that can reduce dementia risk.<\/p>\n