About the Study

FitMind Study

A large-scale prospective investigation into how physical fitness shapes dementia risk — combining epidemiology, proteomics, neuroimaging, and machine learning.

51,517 UK Biobank
Participants
628 Incident Dementia
Events
1,463 Plasma Proteins
Analysed
1,430 Brain MRI
Features (IDPs)
3 Fitness Exposures
Investigated
51,517UK Biobank
Participants
628Incident Dementia
Events
1,463Plasma Proteins
Analysed
1,430Brain MRI
Features (IDPs)
15 yrsMax Follow-up
Duration
Background

Study Rationale

Dementia affects over 55 million people worldwide and lacks disease-modifying treatments. Identifying modifiable risk factors is critical for prevention.

Physical fitness — encompassing musculoskeletal strength, cardiorespiratory capacity, and pulmonary function — represents a potentially modifiable exposure that may protect against cognitive decline.

This study leverages the UK Biobank, one of the world's largest prospective cohort studies, to comprehensively investigate these relationships and the biological mechanisms involved.

Data Source

UK Biobank

About UK Biobank

UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing in-depth genetic, lifestyle, and health information from half a million UK participants. Data collection took place between 2006–2010.

Data Access

Data used in this study are available to approved researchers through the UK Biobank Access Management System. This website presents summary results only; individual-level data are not shared.

Collaboration

Research Team

An international collaboration across Singapore, China, and beyond.

NUS
National University of Singapore
新加坡国立大学
Leading research university in Asia, ranked among the world's top.
 SIMIS
Shanghai Institute for Mathematics and Interdisciplinary Sciences
上海数学与交叉学科研究院
Frontier research advancing mathematics and its interdisciplinary applications.
 HUST
Huazhong University of Science & Technology
华中科技大学
One of China's top comprehensive research universities with strong medical programs.
Overall Design & Supervision
YZ
National University of Singapore
Association Analysis
LR
Lin Runyu
NUS
SY
Sun Yiqing
NUS
PF
Pan Feiyue
SIMIS / Fudan
QJ
Qin Jiayue
NUS
Mechanism Research
LR
Lin Runyu
NUS
Predictor Modeling
SY
Sun Yiqing
NUS
Citation

How to Cite

[Authors]. Physical fitness and dementia risk: evidence from proteomics and neuroimaging in the UK Biobank. Journal Name. 2026.
DOI: To be updated upon publication.
Disclosures

Important Notices

Medical Disclaimer

The risk calculator provides estimates for research purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Data Privacy

All calculator computations are performed locally in your browser. No personal health information is transmitted to or stored on any server.

Generalisability

The model was trained on UK Biobank participants aged 40–70. Results may not generalise to other populations or age groups.