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Regular exercise 'cuts risk of dementia', researchers claim

Regular exercise could radically cut the risk of dementia, Cardiff University researchers claim. They studied the lifestyles of 2,235 men over a 35-year period. David Cameron is hosting a conference with major nations about the disease on Wednesday.

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Healthy lifestyle 'more effective' than any medicine

A healthy lifestyle has a "far more beneficial effect" than doctors originally thought, with new findings showing a huge drop in the risk of developing the dementia as one of the benefits, according to scientists

Cardiff University's principle investigator professor Peter Elwood said the results of a 35-year-long study into dementia showed how living healthily was more effective than "any medical treatment or preventative procedure".

What the research shows is that following a healthy lifestyle confers surprisingly large benefits to health - healthy behaviours have a far more beneficial effect than any medical treatment or preventative procedure.

Taking up and following a healthy lifestyle is however the responsibility of the individual him or herself. Sadly, the evidence from this study shows that very few people follow a fully healthy lifestyle.

Our findings reveal that while the number of people who smoke has gone down since the study started, the number of people leading a fully healthy lifestyle has not changed.

– Principle Investigator Professor Peter Elwood from Cardiff University's School of Medicine

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