Staying active in later life could protect against dementia, as frail older people more than triple their risk of the disease.
Frail people struggle to do simple tasks such as walking 100 yards, putting on their shoes or getting out of bed.
A study has found people classed as frail in middle and old age are 3.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia a decade later.
This may come from insulin resistance, which makes people frail by speeding up the natural loss of muscle mass which happens in older age.
People with muscle weakness are more likely to have high blood sugar levels, caused by their resistance to insulin, which is also a cause of dementia.
Frail people also suffer from inflammation, which is a reaction of the immune system believed to lead to the brain changes seen in dementia.
Staying active in later life could protect against dementia, as being frail triples the risk (stock)
‘There are simple things you can do to reduce the risk of frailty’
Researchers at University College London analysed data on 8,700 English people aged 50 or over to determine their frailty. This included mobility problems, physical disability and poor general health, as well as chronic problems like cardiovascular disease.
They found people who were ‘pre-frail’, ticking almost enough boxes to fall into the category, were almost twice as likely to get dementia in the next 10 years.
The study’s lead author, Dr Nina Rogers from UCL, said: ‘Dementia is very difficult to manage, so the best thing we can do is to find ways to delay its onset and to slow its progress.
‘We know that there are simple things you can do to reduce the risk of frailty, like doing lots of physical exercise, so those are the things to focus on because the knock-on effect might lead to a reduction in the risk of developing dementia.’
Frail people are already at greater risk of going rapidly downhill following minor falls or health problems.
What is good for the heart is good for the head
The study identified this group using 43 criteria, including mobility problems such as being unable to get up from a chair after a long period, to walk 100 yards or extend the arms above shoulder height.
The criteria also included disability measures like problems eating pr putting on shoes, depression and self-reported conditions including high blood pressure and heart failure.
It is well known that ‘what is good for the heart is good for the head’, so that people whose unhealthy lifestyles have led to heart problems may also raise their risk of brain disease.
Those who ticked more than a quarter of the boxes were found, after a decade of being monitored, to be 3.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia.
‘Pre-frail’ people, with almost double the risk of dementia, ticked eight to 25 per cent of the boxes.
People classed as frail in middle and old age are 3.5 times more likely to have dementia (stock)
‘Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will help lower our risk of frailty’
Responding to the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, Dominic Carter, senior policy officer at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Frailty is a complex measure of overall health that, just like dementia, is closely linked to increasing age.
‘Given what we know about the link between other health conditions, lifestyle and dementia risk, it is not surprising to see that frail people are more likely to develop dementia.’
He added: ‘Health services should be helping to reduce the impact of frailty, and frailty itself, by ensuring that people are properly supported, particularly after an accident or hospital stay.
‘But, with incessant cuts to social care budgets and growing pressures on the health service, older people are not getting the help they need, increasing the risk and impact of frailty.’
Frailty affects around one in six older people in England, while around 800,000 people in Britain are living with dementia. This number is projected to double by 2040, primarily because of the ageing population.
Dr Dorina Cadar, senior author of the paper, said: ‘Unfortunately, we can’t change our age or genes, and there is currently no way we can completely prevent dementia.
‘However, maintaining a healthy lifestyle will help lower our risk of cardiovascular diseases and frailty, and it’s likely that we could be lowering our risk of dementia too.’