Physical activity and exercise have been suggested as effective interventions for the prevention and management of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, but with no international guidelines in existence, an international group of experts including Jean Georges, Executive Director, Alzheimer Europe decided to author a set of international evidence- and expert consensus-based prevention and management recommendations. Their collaborative effort has resulted in these new guidelines, which are applicable to a range of individuals from healthy older adults to those with MCI/dementia, being published in the journal European Geriatric Medicine on 28 September 2023. Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure, while exercise is a subset of physical activity that is planned, structured and repetitive. The guideline content was developed with input from several scientific and lay representatives’ societies. A systematic search across multidisciplinary databases was carried out until October 2021. Recommendations for prevention and management were developed according to the GRADE and complemented by consensus statements from the expert panels. Although the scientific evidence on the beneficial role of physical activity and exercise in preserving cognitive functions in subjects with normal cognition, MCI or dementia is inconclusive, this panel, composed of scientific societies and other stakeholders, recommends their implementation based on their beneficial effects on almost all facets of health. The article is available (open access), here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41999-023-00858-y
