"When it comes to preventing Alzheimer's disease, every step counts. For older people whose brains have begun to show molecular signs of the disease, but who have yet to display any cognitive symptoms, taking as few as 3,000 to 5,000 steps per day can help to stave off mental decline, a study finds. That level of activity slows cognitive decline by 3 years, on average, the results show."
"The research team ran regular checks on 296 people participating in the Harvard Aging Brain Study, a programme that is investigating the early stages of Alzheimer's. None of them had signs of cognitive impairment at the beginning of the study. Over a period of up to 14 years, the team periodically assessed the participants - whose ages ranged from 50 to 90 - using cognitive tests and brain scans. Participants were also asked to wear pedometers to measure how many steps they took each day."
""The very encouraging takeaway is that even a little bit of exercise seems to help," says Wai-Ying Wendy Yau, a physician-scientist specializing in memory disorders at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and a co-author of the study, which was published on 3 November in Nature Medicine. The research indicates that people don't need to take 10,000 steps a day, a goal that is often touted but might be hard for some older individuals to attain, she says."
For older adults who show molecular signs of Alzheimer's but have no cognitive symptoms, taking 3,000–5,000 steps per day slows cognitive decline by about three years, and 5,000–7,500 steps per day slows decline by about seven years. A cohort of 296 people aged 50–90 were monitored for up to 14 years with cognitive tests, brain scans, and pedometer-measured step counts. Brains at higher risk show abnormal build-up of amyloid-β followed by tau, and cognitive decline appears more closely tied to tau accumulation. Even modest daily walking can provide measurable protection without needing 10,000 steps.
Read at Nature
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