Exercise prevents the incidence of dementia in older people with osteoarthritis

Published

2 years ago

October 6, 2023

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By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D. Oct 5 2023 Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM

In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers investigated the potential of minimal exercise (MAE) to prevent dementia in cognitively normal older individuals with osteoarthritis (OA).

Study: Minimal amount of exercise prevents incident dementia in cognitively normal older adults with osteoarthritis: a retrospective longitudinal follow-up study . Image Credit: Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com Background

Numerous studies have highlighted the benefits of regular aerobic exercise in preventing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and degenerative brain disorders like senile dementia.

However, older adults with OA often face challenges in maintaining regular exercise due to joint pain and mobility limitations. Since about 10% of the elderly population worldwide develops dementia, finding preventive measures is crucial.

Physicians can play a vital role in influencing exercise behavior in older adults, but time constraints, limited training, and inadequate reimbursement hinder their ability to provide effective counseling.

MAE refers to the smallest amount of physical activity that can enhance health and reduce mortality, often involving brief, sporadic, or infrequent exercise sessions. About the study

This longitudinal, retrospective cohort study examined the impact of MAE on dementia prevention in older adults with OA. Participants from the History-Based Artificial Intelligence Activities of Daily Living (HAI-ADL) database were screened.

The study included participants aged 50 or older, diagnosed with OA, and possessing comprehensive medical records. The research compared dementia incidence among different MAE frequency groups. Study findings

The study included 242 participants without dementia but with OA, divided into MAE-no (121 participants), MAE-weekly (51 participants), and MAE-daily (70 participants) groups. The conversion rates to dementia were estimated at 47.9%, 33.3%, and 17.1% for the MAE-no, MAE-weekly, and MAE-daily groups, respectively. Related StoriesResearch could lead to the development of new weight-loss drug that mimics exerciseUnderstanding how exercise suppresses appetite could pave the way for new obesity drugsTraumatic life events may directly increase your risk for dementia

Adjusted for various factors, the Cox proportional hazards model indicated that both MAE-daily and MAE-weekly groups had a significant decrease in dementia incidence compared to the reference group.

The multivariate logistic regression model showed that MAE-daily significantly reduced dementia incidence and improved cardiac conditions. These findings align with previous research indicating that even minimal exercise can prevent cognitive decline in older individuals with OA. Conclusions

While the study has limitations, such as a small sample size and recruitment from specific centers in Taiwan, it underscores the importance of promoting MAE interventions, such as walking, in older populations with OA.

Even minimal exercise, when performed regularly, can enhance joint health and cognitive well-being, making it a valuable strategy for preventing dementia in this demographic. Journal reference:

Chung, Y. et al. (2023) Minimal amount of exercise prevents incident dementia in cognitively normal older adults with osteoarthritis: A retrospective longitudinal follow-up study. Scientific Reports, 13(1), pp.1-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42737-3. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-42737-3

US

James Craig: Dentist in Colorado poisoned wife’s protein shakes with cyanide, murder trial hears

Published

3 hours ago

July 16, 2025

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James Craig: Dentist in Colorado poisoned wife's protein shakes with cyanide, murder trial hears

The trial of a dentist accused of murdering his wife by poisoning her protein shakes has begun in the US state of Colorado.

James Craig denies using cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient in over-the-counter eye drops, to kill Angela Craig in a suburb of Denver.

During the trial’s opening statements on Tuesday, prosecutors claimed the 47-year-old was having an affair with another dentist, had financial difficulties and may have been motivated by the payout from his wife’s life insurance.

Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley told the jury at Arapahoe District Court that the 43-year-old victim – who had six children with her husband – had been suffering worsening symptoms including dizziness, vomiting and fainting.

She died in March 2023 during her third trip to the hospital that month.

Mr Brackley accused Craig of poisoning her protein shakes – then giving his wife a final dose of poison while she was in hospital, and said: “He went in that [hospital] room to murder her, to deliberately and intentionally end her life with a fatal dose of cyanide … She spends the next three days dying.”

Craig, who shook his head at times during the prosecution’s opening statement, has pleaded not guilty to several charges, including first-degree murder, solicitation to commit murder and solicitation to commit perjury.

Prosecutors said Craig had tried to make it appear his wife of 23 years had killed herself. His internet history showed he had searched for “how to make a murder look like a heart attack” and “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy”.

In an argument, captured on home surveillance video, his wife also accused him of suggesting to hospital staff that she was suicidal.

After Craig’s arrest in 2023, prosecutors alleged that he had offered a fellow prison inmate $20,000 (£14,993) to kill the case’s lead investigator and offered someone else $20,000 to find people to falsely testify that Angela Craig planned to die by suicide.

Craig’s attorney, Ashley Whitham, told the jury to consider the credibility of those witnesses, calling some “jailhouse snitches”.

Ms Whitham argued that the evidence didn’t show that he poisoned her, instead seeming to suggest she may have taken her own life.

She described Angela Craig as “broken”, partly by Craig’s infidelity and her desire to stay married, since they were part of The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints.

Hospital staff had said Craig had been caring and “doting” while Angela Craig was in the hospital, said Whitham.

The defence argued prosecutors had overdramatised Craig’s financial problems and dismissed the prosecution’s suggestion that Craig was motivated to kill because of an affair he was having with a fellow dentist from Texas.

“That’s simply not the case,” Whitham said, adding that Craig had many affairs over the years that his wife knew about. “He was candid with Angela that he had been cheating.”

The trial continues.

Politics

Michigan town puts pre-emptive curbs on crypto ATMs

Published

3 hours ago

July 16, 2025

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Michigan town puts pre-emptive curbs on crypto ATMs

The town of Grosse Pointe Farms has no crypto ATMs, but has regulated them anyway, requiring registration, warnings and limits on kiosks.

Technology

Chip giant ASML says it can’t confirm that it will grow in 2026

Published

4 hours ago

July 16, 2025

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Chip giant ASML says it can't confirm that it will grow in 2026

An icon of ASML is displayed on a smartphone, with an ASML chip visible in the background.

Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images

ASML reported second-quarter earnings that beat estimates with the its key net bookings figure ahead of consensus.

However, the chip equipment giant missed analyst expectations for revenue guidance in the current quarter and warned of the possibility of no growth ahead.

Here’s how ASML did versus LSEG consensus estimates for the second quarter:

Net sales: 7.7 billion euros ($8.95 billion) versus 7.52 billion euros expected
Net profit: 2.29 billion euros vs 2.04 billion euros expected

In its own previous forecast issued in April, ASML had said it expected second-quarter net sales of between 7.2 billion euros and 7.7 billion euros. In a pre-recorded interview posted on ASML’s website, the company’s Chief Financial Officer Roger Dassen said the beat was due to revenue from upgrading currently deployed machines as well as tariffs having a “less negative” impact than anticipated.

Analysts anticipated net bookings — a key indicator of order demand — would come in at 4.19 billion euros over the April-June stretch. ASML reported net bookings of 5.5 billion euros.

ASML is one of the most important semiconductor supply chain companies in the world. It makes extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines, which are required to manufacture the most advanced chips in the world, such as those designed by Apple and Nvidia.

Companies like Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. are customers of ASML.

2026 warning

Like many companies in the semiconductor industry, ASML has been grappling with uncertainty created by U.S. tariff policy.

The company forecast third-quarter revenue of between 7.4 billion euros and 7.9 billion euros, which was shy of market expectations of 8.3 billion euros.

ASML said it expects full-year 2025 net sales to grow 15%, narrowing its guidance from a previously announced forecasts of between 30 billion euros to 35 billion euros.

However, the Dutch tech giant was less certain about the outlook for 2026.

“Looking at 2026, we see that our AI customers’ fundamentals remain strong,” ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet said in a statement.

“At the same time, we continue to see increasing uncertainty driven by macro-economic and geopolitical developments. Therefore, while we still prepare for growth in 2026, we cannot confirm it at this stage.”

The Veldhoven, Netherlands-headquartered company has released its next generation EUV tools known as High NA, which stands for high numerical aperture. These machines, which are larger than a double-decker bus and can cost more than $400 million each, are key to ASML’s future growth plans.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for more.