Men who by the age of 18 have a low IQ (that is, below 100) and who exercise little can develop dementia before the age of 60 . This is the conclusion of a recent study carried out by a team of scientists from the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and published in the journal Brain .
The study, which included the analysis of 1.1 million young people , was able to establish a correlation between the cardiovascular fitness of a teenager, his IQ and his health problems in his adult life. The results found that those who did not exercise often were 2.5 times more likely to develop early dementia; Those with low IQs were 4 times more at risk and 7 times more likely to develop dementia if these two factors were combined . Of the total study participants, 660 men were diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
Dementia encompasses a group of different diseases that are characterized by the gradual worsening or deterioration of the individual’s cognitive abilities and that affects 2% of people between 65-70 years of age and 20% of those over 80 years of age . Therefore, preventing the development of dementia before the age of 60 is a quality of life insurance.
Scientists affirm that physical and cognitive exercise reduces the risk of neurological diseases, since it strengthens our physiological and mental functions, that is, it makes the brain more resistant to damage and diseases, as this Swedish study has been able to verify.
