This One Surprising Exercise Cuts Dementia Risk by 88 Percent, Study Finds
If you're not a fan of running, hopping on a bike may be a powerful way to get your heart rate up while also protecting your brain health.
A long-term study published in Neurology found that individuals who performed well on a cycling test in midlife were dramatically less likely to develop dementia as they got older. While the study was only performed on women, the results are promising.
Researchers tracked 191 women who underwent a stepwise-increased maximal ergometer cycling test in 1968 to assess their cardiovascular fitness.
The cycling test asks participants to pedal on a stationary bike with gradually increasing resistance until they reach their max effort. It assesses how well the heart and lungs perform under increasing physical stress.
The women, aged between 38 and 60 at the time, were then followed for 44 years, with regular dementia screenings between 1974 and 2009.
The individuals who had high cardiovascular fitness in midlife were 88 percent less likely to develop dementia compared to those with moderate fitness levels.The onset of dementia was also delayed—by an average of 9.5 years—among the highly fit group.
As of 2020, an estimated 55 million people worldwide were living with dementia, according to Alzheimer's Disease International—a number expected to nearly double every 20 years, climbing to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050.
"Promotion of a high cardiovascular fitness may be included in strategies to mitigate or prevent dementia," the authors wrote in the study.
The study adds to growing evidence connecting physical health with brain health, highlighting the long-term benefits of staying active.This One Surprising Exercise Cuts Dementia Risk by 88 Percent, Study Finds first appeared on Men's Fitness on Aug 8, 2025
This story was originally reported by Men's Fitness on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
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