A new study shows that increasing the number of daily steps, even slightly, may contribute to slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people at high risk of developing it.
Researchers from Massachusetts General Brigham Hospital reported in a study published in the journal Nature Medicine that physical activity is associated with lower rates of cognitive decline in elderly people who have high levels of beta-amyloid, a protein directly linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Cognitive decline was delayed by 3 years on average in people who walked between 3,000 and 5,000 steps per day, and by 7 years in people who walked between 5,000 and 7,500 steps per day.
As for people who do not exercise, it was observed that they accumulate faster tau proteins in the brain, and a faster decline in cognition and daily performance.
Dr. Jasmir Chhatwal, principal investigator in the Department of Neurology at Brigham Massachusetts General Hospital, said:
- This sheds light on why some people who appear to be on the path to Alzheimer’s disease do not deteriorate as quickly as others.
- Lifestyle factors appear to influence the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting that lifestyle changes may slow the onset of cognitive symptoms if we act early.
Benefits of walking for Alzheimer’s
The researchers analyzed data from 296 participants between the ages of 50 and 90 in the Harvard Study of Brain Aging, all of whom were cognitively intact at the start of the study. They used positron emission tomography scans of the brain to measure baseline levels of amyloid beta in plaques and tau in tangles, and assessed participants’ physical activity using waist-belt-mounted pedometers.
With the results, increasing the number of steps was associated with slower rates of cognitive decline and slower accumulation of tau proteins in participants with high baseline levels of amyloid beta. The researchers’ statistical modeling indicated that most of the benefits of physical activity associated with slowing cognitive decline were driven by slower tau accumulation.
In contrast, in people with low baseline levels of beta-amyloid, there was very little cognitive decline or accumulation of tau proteins over time and no significant associations with physical activity.
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