Physical Activity for the Reduction of Alzheimer’s Disease Risk in Women: A Scoping Literature Review

Each year, twice as many women than men are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). As there is no known cure for AD, preventing it has become a vital public health issue. One lifestyle intervention that may reduce the risk of AD is physical activity (PA). This scoping review aimed to examine the existing literature on PA and AD risk to identify whether PA has a sex-specific effect on AD risk in women.

A scoping review was conducted based on PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Cochrane recommended databases, MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched via Ovid between May and June 2022. Articles were screened at the title, abstract, and full-text level for inclusion criteria (female participants, results reported by sex, PA, or exercise reported separately from other variables, and participants with no known cognitive impairment). For each study, sample characteristics, PA and AD measures, follow-up times, and results were summarized.

Ten studies met the inclusion criteria, and their results were assessed for quality using the Cochrane GRADE tool. Most studies (80%) reported significant results for females. When broken down by sex, six studies reported differences in result significance with some studies finding that PA can reduce AD risk in women but not in men. Increased weekly PA sessions, duration, and intensity all significantly reduced AD risk for women.

While there are some limitations, including reliance on self-report, short follow-up times, and variations in AD and PA measures, the results have important implications. Findings may facilitate the development of tailored interventions that target women with unique lifestyle recommendations and inspire future research on the specifics of PA type, timing, and duration.