Physical fitness and dementia risk in the very old: a study of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921

Previous studies have demonstrated that individual measures of fitness – such as reduced pulmonary function, slow walking speed and weak handgrip – are associated with an increased risk of dementia. Only a minority of participants included in these studies were aged over 80. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the association between physical fitness and dementia in the oldest old. Subjects (n = 488) were enrolled in the Lothian...