Can Exercise Really Lower Dementia Risk? A New Study Has Big News for Midlife Women

 Can Exercise Really Lower Dementia Risk? A New Study Has Big News for Midlife Women

(Framingham Heart Study, 2025)

If you’ve ever wondered whether moving your body now can influence your brain later, this new study has a very encouraging answer: yes—and especially during midlife.

Researchers looked at physical activity levels across the adult lifespan and followed participants for decades to see who developed dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. What they found is honestly a huge relief for anyone who didn’t spend their 20s running marathons.

Turns out: the strongest brain-protective effects happen in your 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

Not earlier.

Not “back when we had more time.”
Not “before kids.”
Right now.

🧪 What the study actually did

Adults in three age ranges were followed:

• Early adulthood (20s–30s)
• Midlife (40s–50s)
• Late life (60s–70s+)

Researchers measured physical activity once in each period, and then followed everyone for up to 37 years to see who developed dementia.

Outcome: dementia and Alzheimer’s diagnoses were tracked over time.

🧠 The headline result: Midlife movement = lowered dementia risk

Adults with high physical activity in midlife had up to a 41% lower risk of developing dementia later in life.

People with high activity in late life also saw a meaningful benefit—about 45% lower risk.

That’s enormous.

And here’s the surprise:

Early adulthood activity wasn’t linked to lower dementia risk.

Being active young didn’t help unless activity continued later.

Which means…

It’s never too late to start. The window that matters most is the one you and I are living in right now.

🏋️‍♀️ Does the type of exercise matter?

Yes—with one important nuance:

In midlife:

Moderate to vigorous movement had the strongest impact:

• strength training
• brisk walking
• hiking
• cycling
• interval training
• lifting weights

In late life:

Literally any movement helped—intensity mattered less.

This is huge for longevity AND accessibility.

🧬 What if you’re genetically at higher risk?

Here’s the best part:
Even people who carry Alzheimer’s-risk genes (APOE-ε4) still benefitted from physical activity.

Movement didn’t “cancel out” genetic risk, but it absolutely improved outcomes.

Translation: your choices matter, even if your genetics feel scary.

🧘‍♀️ How much do you actually need?

Here’s where I’m going to simplify what the researchers politely overcomplicated:

Aim for:

✔ strength training 2–4x/week
✔ something that gets you out of breath a few times a week
✔ daily movement / steps
✔ consistency over perfection

There isn't a perfect formula—but your body knows the difference between “not moving” and “moving most days.”

🧠 Why this matters so much for women in perimenopause

Hormonal changes during perimenopause accelerate:

• brain fog
• sleep disruption
• inflammation
• metabolic changes
• aging processes

So when you build muscle now, you’re doing more than sculpting your arms—you’re literally protecting your cognitive future.

The study reinforces something I’ve believed for a long time:

The work you do during midlife pays dividends you can’t see yet.

🫶 My favorite real-life example…

At my own gym, there’s a couple in their seventies—still practicing law—who had never stepped foot in a gym until recently. Now they’re lifting, learning, improving their balance, mobility, and overall capability week after week.

They are absolute proof:
It is never too late.

Not at 40.
Not at 50.
Not at 75.

💡 Final Takeaway

You don’t need to train like an athlete in your twenties. Your midlife body—and your future brain—care most about what you do TODAY.

Move regularly
Lift something
And keep going

Future you will look back and say thank you.

Source;

Physical Activity Over the Adult Life Course and Risk of Dementia (Framingham Heart Study, 2025