(London) Research suggests that even small amounts of daily exercise may help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease in older adults at risk.
According to this international study, walking 3,000 steps or more per day appears to slow the brain changes and cognitive decline experienced by Alzheimer's patients.
The Guardian reports that this 14-year study, published in the journal *Nature Medicine*, showed that walking 3,000 to 5,000 steps daily can delay cognitive decline by an average of three years, while walking 5,000 to 7,000 steps daily can delay it by seven years.
The research team regularly monitored 296 people aged 50 to 90, all of whom showed no signs of cognitive impairment at the beginning of the study. Participants wore pedometers to record their daily steps, underwent annual cognitive assessments, and had their brains scanned to detect the levels of two proteins in the brain.
In the brains of individuals at high risk of Alzheimer's disease, there is often an abnormal accumulation of two proteins: amyloid-beta and tau.
Further Reading
For participants with low levels of beta-amyloid protein (i.e., lower risk of Alzheimer's disease), the number of steps taken had no impact on their cognitive abilities.
Among participants with high levels of beta-amyloid protein (i.e., higher risk of Alzheimer's disease), more steps were associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline and tau protein accumulation; participants with sedentary lifestyles or low activity levels experienced significantly faster cognitive decline and tau protein accumulation.
