Abstract
During ageing process of the society, the proportion of dependent older people and long-term care users are increasing in developed countries. One of the critical issues that Japan, who is well known for its highest proportion of old people in the world (super-aged society), is currently confronting include how to prevent cognitive decline (dementia) as well as physical disability in old age. Effective prevention strategies would result in substantial benefits through improved quality of life, prolonged independent life expectancy, and reduced economic cost and social burdens. Although physical exercise has well-documented benefits for general health and maintaining physical function, and more recently has been shown to benefit cognition. However, only limited evidences regarding the type of exercise (aerobic exercise or resistance training), and quantitative parameters of exercise (intensity, duration, and frequency) that are most beneficial for cognition are available. We are conducting large-scale, RCT which determines if various exercise programs improve cognition or reduce dementia incidence and prevent physical frailty in older people.
