Physical Exersise could have a “huge role in preventing dementia” in older people, a conference has been told.

Bob Laventure, a consultant at the National Centre for Physical Activity at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, said a growing body of research indicated dementia was a “lifestyle preventable condition”. He said dementia would increase by 303 per cent here over the next 30 years, by which time it would affect 104,000 people.

Mr Laventure was addressing a conference on exercise and older people hosted by the Irish Gerontological Society.

“In the UK, the cost of dementia has already outstripped that of coronary heart disease, cancers and strokes put together and people aged over 85 now make up the fastest-growing generation.”

He said moderate exercise was not generally encouraged among older people and yet it improved brain structure and functioning, reduced cognitive impairment and reduced risk of depression.

“While a minority of older people live in nursing homes and the majority at home, there is perhaps a risk that people have low expectations of them in terms of physical exercise.”

He said this could contribute to their increased susceptibility to frailty and disease.

The conference was told by Dr Catherine Woods, lecturer in sports and exercise psychology at Dublin City University, that there was “no national strategy or policy or plan for physical activity for any age group” in Ireland.

She said the Sports Council of Ireland was in the process of drawing one up for the next three years in conjunction with the HSE.

Mr Laventure said there were further lifestyle and cost benefits to encouraging and enabling older people to remain active.

“Not using the body leads to an acceleration in the decline of bone density, strength, power, flexibility, endurance, balance, co-ordination and mobility.”

Prof Desmond O’Neill, of the department of medical gerontology at Trinity College Dublin, said it was important there was a national strategy to encourage older people to “husband” their bodies well. He said the challenges were resources and motivation.