Summary
• Regular exercise in midlife (around 2.5 hrs/week) may lower Alzheimer’s risk by reducing harmful brain protein buildup.
• Brain benefits include preserved memory-related brain volume and greater cortical thickness, even with less-than-recommended activity.
• Guidelines: Aim for 150 mins moderate or 75 mins vigorous exercise weekly, plus strength training twice a week.
• Inactivity is a major risk factor—staying active in midlife is a key public health strategy for dementia prevention.
23rd September 2025
You no doubt already had a good idea of the multiple benefits of exercise and that being too stationary can lead to type 2 diabetes, some cancers, weight gain and other issues. Now there’s a new one to add to the list: working out more in middle age could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease later on, claim researchers.
A Spanish study of 337 adults has found that those who increased their exercise efforts to two and a half hours weekly between the ages of 45 and 65 were less susceptible to the spread in the brain of the toxic protein amyloid. If there is heavy clumping of this protein, along with another called tau, it could lead to plaques and tangles, thought to drive Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia, affecting approaching a million people in the UK.
The Barcelona Institute for Global Health added that keener exercisers were more likely to retain volume in the brain area linked to memory and thinking, the medial temporal region.
Lead author Dr Eider Arenaza-Urquijo commented: “These findings reinforce the importance of promoting physical activity in middle age as a public health strategy for Alzheimer's prevention.”
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, also found that even those who did less than the recommended amount of physical activity enjoyed greater cortical thickness than those who were entirely sedentary, indicating that even minimal exercise yields health benefits.
Participants had to complete activity questionnaires and neuroimaging tests. Over years of follow-up, it was found that those who increased their activity to meet World Health Organisation (WHO) and NHS guidance-equivalent levels demonstrated smaller accumulation of amyloid in brain scan than study members who were sedentary or less active.
There was a particular benefit for those who had been inactive but then started to work out. According to the NHS, adults should complete a minimum of 150 minutes’ moderate-intensity exercise weekly – or 75 if this is vigorous. And your regime should include strength exercises on at least two days a week to work all the major muscle groups.
As a general guide, one minute of vigorous activity yields the same benefits as a two-minute moderate workout. (At the same time, it’s worth breaking up extended periods of being seated with some light activity.)
Plenty of research already indicates that inactivity is not great for brain health, with one figure showing that 13% of Alzheimer’s cases could have a connection with this issue. Meanwhile, a groundbreaking study from last year found that nearly 50% of all cases of Alzheimer’s could be prevented by tackling 14 lifestyle risk factors, from smoking to high cholesterol.
Fresh Air Fitness is the leading UK provider of outdoor gyms in a variety of settings up and down the country. We have an age based fitness guide to help you get the best from your workout. There are also a number of benefits for anyone who is later in life and thinking about returning to exercise at an outdoor gym.
Particularly if you’re in midlife and thinking about doing more in the way of fitness training, think about visiting your local outdoor gym. These facilities are free at the point of use; there should be one near you plus they remain open as long as the park or other amenity in which they’re located does.
Meanwhile, if you’re interested in learning about fitting outdoor gym equipment in your own community, whether that’s a park, residential home or school, get in touch.
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