'Weekend warrior' approach gets thumbs-up from researchers for reducing risks of cognitive decline
‘Weekend warriors’ – a nickname commonly given to busy people who conduct one or two sessions of physical activity on Saturdays and Sundays – may be just as likely to lower their risk of cognitive decline as those who manage more frequent sessions.
That is the message from researchers whose study was published online on (30 October) in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Patterns of cognitive decline can often precede dementia.
The article’s first author is Gary O’Donovan, from the Faculty of Medicine, Los Andes University, Bogotá, Colombia, and there are nine co-authors from countries including Scotland, Ireland and Chile.
Dr O’Donovan and colleagues stress the importance of identifying potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia. A five-year delay in onset might halve its prevalence, they say, adding that nearly all the evidence to date comes from studies in high-income countries.
Four groups of 'exercisers'
The researchers drew on two sets of survey data from the Mexico City Prospective Study, the first of which took place from 1998 to 2004, while the second took place from 2015 to 2019. A total of 10,033 people (average age 51) completed both surveys, and their responses were included in the analysis.
For the first survey, respondents were asked whether they exercised or played sports, and if so, how many times a week, and for how long (in minutes). Four groups were derived from the responses: the no exercisers; the ‘weekend warriors’ who exercised/played sports once or twice a week; the regularly active who did so three or more times a week; and a combined group comprising weekend warriors and the regularly active.
The Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) was used to assess cognitive function at the time of the second survey. A score of 22 or less out of 30 was used to define MCI.
In all, 7,945 respondents said they didn’t exercise at all; 726 fulfilled the definition of a weekend warrior; 1362 said they exercised several times a week; and 2,088 made up the combined group.
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 with similar reductions in the risk of mild dementia [Gary O’Donovan et al]
People monitored over 16-year span, on average
During an average monitoring period of 16 years, 2,400 cases of MCI were identified. MCI prevalence was 26 per cent among the no exercisers; 14 per cent among the weekend warriors; and 18.5 per cent among the regularly active.
After taking account of potentially influential factors including age, educational attainment, smoking, nightly sleep, diet and alcohol intake, weekend warriors were 25 per cent less likely to develop MCI than the no exercisers, while the regularly active were 11 per cent less likely to do so. Those in the combined group were per cent less likely to do so.
When MCI was defined as an MMSE score of 23 or below, 2,856 cases were identified. And MCI prevalence rose to 30 per cent among the no exercisers, 20 per cent among the weekend warriors, and 22 per cent among the regularly active.
Compared with the no exercisers, weekend warriors were 13 per cent less likely to develop MCI, while the regularly active and those in the combined group were 12 per cent less likely to do so. The results were similar for both men and women.
The researchers estimated that, in theory, 13 per cent of cases might be avoided if all middle-aged adults exercised at least once or twice a week.
Caveats and conclusions
As their study was observational in nature, Dr O’Donovan note that firm conclusions cannot be drawn about causal factors. And the researchers acknowledge various limitations to their findings. For example, the survey respondents might not have been truly representative of middle-aged adults and there were no objective measures of physical activity.
But there are several possible explanations for the seemingly protective effect of exercise on brain health, Dr O’Donovan and colleagues explain.
‘For example, exercise may increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentrations [molecules that support the growth and survival of neurons] and brain plasticity. Physical activity is also associated with greater brain volume, greater executive function, and greater memory,’ they write.
‘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 with similar reductions in the risk of mild dementia,’ Dr O’Donovan and his colleagues state.
The findings, they suggest, ‘have important implications for policy and practice because the weekend warrior physical activity pattern may be a more convenient option for busy people in Latin America and elsewhere'.
To access the full version of the article– titled Associations of the ‘weekend warrior’ physical activity pattern with mild dementia: findings from the Mexico City Prospective Study Doi 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108460 – click
Author: Ian A McMillan
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