I've just come across two new studies that reveal how simple act of taking a walk each day may offer significant protection from one of most feared of all health problems.

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Cognitive decline is a symptom that signals possible onset of Alzheimer's disease, which is leading cause of dementia among aging adults. In September, Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) published two studies that specifically address effects of light exercise on cognitive decline in older women and dementia in elderly men.

Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health conducted first study. Questionnaires were used to assess physical activity levels and exercise patterns for more than 18,700 women, aged 70 to 81 years. The questionnaires covered a minimum of nine years, and were followed up with two telephone interviews with each subject to assess cognitive health measures such as memory and attention span.

In conclusion to study, Harvard team wrote that significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline were both strongly associated with "long-term regular physical activity, including walking."

Lead researcher, Jennifer Weuve, ScD., told Internet Broadcasting Systems that women who walked two to three hours at an easy pace each week "performed significantly better on these tests of cognition than women who walked less than one hour per week." And even less cognitive decline was noted in women who walked six or more hours each week.

These results reminded me of another benefit of regular walking among women. In e-Alert "Second Pass" (4/5/04), I told you about a six-year breast cancer study that included data on more than 74,000 women over age of 50. Researchers found that women who exercise regularly have lower breast cancer rates. And in many cases, only a couple of hours of brisk walking each week may provide enough exercise to reduce breast cancer risk.

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In hindsight, I can identify many symptoms of high blood pressure, but I either ignored them or thought they were related to other things.

The major symptom I had was headaches. Most days I would either wake up with a headache or develop one. Some of them were real "head splitters" ... occasionally I would have to lie down to stop nausea. I remember often working in front of my computer and trying very hard not to move my head to avoid feeling sharp pains.

Since being diagnosed with high blood pressure and starting medication, I have not had one headache (around nine months now). My headaches were definitely due to my high blood pressure, but back then I thought they were due to stress, or poor posture due to sitting at a computer all day ... or any number of things.

THE DIAGNOSIS

I had been told for years by doctors that my blood pressure was high, but that it was probably due to "white coat"effect. Turns out it wasn't. I went to a new doctor, and as she took my blood pressure, she had a very worried look on her face.

My systolic blood pressure reading was over 200.

She told me to go to hospital immediately and made me promise I would not ignore her warning. At time I did think she was over-reacting, and I pictured myself sitting in hospital emergency waiting room for a couple of hours, waiting for a doctor to see me, giving me a couple of pills to take, and heading home.

The actual story was very different.