PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — The steps to a healthy brain may be just that, according to a new study examining the impact of walking on cognitive health.
Researchers studied 300 people between the ages of 50 and 90, focusing on how increased physical activity affected the brain. Participants who were inactive or minimally active were given pedometers and encouraged to walk more.
The results were eye-opening, researchers said. People who increased their daily steps showed better outcomes than those who remained sedentary.
The study looked at daily physical activity and two brain proteins — amyloid beta and tau — both associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Those proteins tend to abnormally build up in people at higher risk of developing the disease.
Researchers found that the buildup of those proteins slowed as participants walked more.
People who averaged between 2,500 and 5,000 steps per day performed better than those who were sedentary. Participants who walked between 5,000 and 7,500 steps per day showed even greater benefits.
Neurologist Dr. David Robbins said there are medications available that can slow Alzheimer’s disease, but they are not perfect.
Knowing that even a small lifestyle change can make a big difference is encouraging.
“I think walking is a start, and I think more exercise in general, more activity, improving your cardiovascular function, improving your flexibility and your balance, also go a far way to maintaining cognitive function,” said Robbins.
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