Midlife Physical Activity and Cognition Later in Life: A Prospective Twin Study
Authors: Iso-Markku, Paula | Waller, Katja | Vuoksimaa, Eero | Heikkilä, Kauko | Rinne, Juha | Kaprio, Jaakko | Kujala, Urho M.
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: Background: Physical activity has been associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline but the nature of this association remains obscure. Objective: To study associations between midlife physical activity and cognition in old age for a prospective cohort of Finnish twins. Methods: Physical activity in the Finnish Twin Cohort was assessed using questionnaire responses collected in 1975 and 1981. After a mean follow-up of 25.1 years, the subjects’ (n = 3050; mean age 74.2; range 66–97) cognition was evaluated with a validated telephone interview. Both participation in vigorous physical activity, and the volume of physical activity, divided into quintiles, were used …as predictors of cognitive impairment. Metrics collected by TELE were used to categorize participants as: cognitively impaired, suffering mild cognitive impairment, or cognitively healthy. Results: Participation in vigorous physical activity compared to non-participation for both 1975 and 1981 was associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment in individual-based analyses (fully adjusted OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.35–0.73). Pairwise analyses yielded similar but statistically non-significant associations. In terms of the volume of physical activity, the most active quintile of individuals (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.46–1.04) had a reduced risk of cognitive decline compared with the most sedentary quintile in the fully adjusted model although no clear dose-response was found. Conclusion: Vigorous midlife physical activity was associated with less cognitive impairment but without a clear dose-response association between the volume of physical activity and cognition. Show more
Keywords: Cohort studies, cognition, dementia, exercise, genetics
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-160377
Citation: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 54, no. 4, pp. 1303-1317, 2016
Midlife Alcohol Consumption and Later Risk of Cognitive Impairment: A Twin Follow-up Study
Authors: Virta, Jyri J. | Järvenpää, Tarja | Heikkilä, Kauko | Perola, Markus | Koskenvuo, Markku | Räihä, Ismo | Rinne, Juha O. | Kaprio, Jaakko
Article Type: Research Article
Abstract: In this prospective follow-up study, we monitored the effects of midlife alcohol consumption and drinking patterns on cognitive impairment risks in late life. 1,486 subjects recruited from the Finnish Twin Cohort were included in the analyses. Alcohol consumption data was obtained with structured questionnaires in 1975 and 1981, and subjects were contacted between 1999 and 2007 to conduct a telephone interview evaluating cognitive function. The mean follow-up period was 22.8 years (standard deviation 2.1 years). Both abstainers and heavy drinkers were found to have an increased risk of cognitive impairment in comparison to light drinkers (relative risk ratios 1.44; 95% …confidence interval: 1.02–2.10 and 1.94, 1.10–3.44, respectively. Also, binge drinking at least monthly in 1975 and 1981, as well as more than two pass-outs due to excess drinking in 1981 were associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment (1.98, 1.08–3.64 and 3.85, 1.51–9.83, respectively), even when excluding abstainers and controlling for total alcohol consumption. Subgroup analyses based on apolipoprotein E ε4 status suggest that the increased risk of cognitive impairment associated with being an abstainer is limited to subjects without an ε4 allele. Our results add to the evidence that light to moderate alcohol use is associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment compared with higher levels of consumption. In addition, binge drinking was found to be an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment. Show more
Keywords: Alcohol drinking, Alzheimer's disease, cohort studies, dementia, risk factors
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-2010-100870
Citation: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 939-948, 2010