Research suggests that cramming exercise into your weekends not only provides the same physical benefits as regular exercise, but is just as good for your brain.
Studies have previously found that physical exercise is associated with improved brain health and lower risk of dementia in older adults.
In a new study of more than 10,000 people, both “weekend warriors” who exercised only once or twice a week and those who engaged in more regular physical activity were more likely to be physically active than those who were less active. It was found that the risk of mild dementia was reduced.
“We think our research is good news for busy people around the world,” said Dr. Gary O’Donovan. “This is our latest Weekend Warrior study, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the benefits of exercising once or twice a week are almost the same as exercising more often.”
The “weekend warrior” pattern of physical activity has become a popular research topic. A study led by Dr. Shaan Khurshid of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found that people who completed a week’s worth of exercise in one to two days had a lower risk of developing more than 200 diseases than those who were inactive. It turns out that people who exercise regularly have similar benefits.
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“This is the first longitudinal study to show that weekend warriors’ physical activity patterns are also good for their mental health,” O’Donovan said.
O’Donovan et al., writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, report how they analyzed data from the Mexico City Prospective Study. The study first surveyed individuals aged 35 and older between 1998 and 2004, and a second time between 2015 and 2019.
Results from the first survey showed that of the 10,033 participants, 79.2% reported not doing any sports or exercise, and 7.2% were “weekend warriors” who reported exercising once or twice a week. It was revealed that 13.6% were exercising more regularly.
In the second study, participants were tested for cognitive impairment and dementia. They found that 26% of those who reported not participating in sports or exercise in the first study met criteria for mild dementia using traditional thresholds, compared to 14% of weekend warriors, It was revealed that 18.5% of the groups are active in
Further analysis, which took into account factors such as age, gender, education, income, smoking and body mass index, found that the weekend warrior group had a 25% lower risk of mild dementia compared to the inactive group . Meanwhile, the regularly active group had an 11% lower risk.
The researchers estimated that 13% of mild dementia cases could be eliminated if all middle-aged adults participated in sports or exercise at least once or twice a week.
Mr O’Donovan said it was not clear why the weekend warrior group had a lower risk of mild dementia than those who exercised more regularly, but said it could be due to the nature of the screening tool. , emphasized that it is not a clinical diagnosis. The research team noted that the two active groups showed similar magnitudes of risk reduction compared to the inactive group when using different thresholds of the screening tool.
Khurshid, who was not involved in the study, said that while the study was based on self-reported exercise, which is subject to error, it supports the idea that individuals should engage in physical activity in a way that works for them. He welcomed the study, pointing out that it was a promising study.
“There is growing evidence that intensive physical activity is associated with beneficial health outcomes, and in this case, cognitive impairment joins the list,” he said.
In fact, Khurshid said previous research had emphasized that it was the total amount of exercise, not the pattern, that was most important for disease risk.
“So if you want to become a weekend warrior, you need to exercise for longer in fewer sessions per week so you can maintain the recommended amount of activity,” he said.
