Study: Walking more than 3,000 steps a day may slow Alzheimer's progression

Healthy habits can prevent the onset of some diseases or slow down the progression of others. Among the habits that are necessary to adapt to one's daily life is physical exercise. However, it is not necessary to implement a demanding exercise routine; simply dedicating a short period of time each day is enough.

A study by Mass General Brigham, a Boston-based nonprofit network of physicians and hospitals, indicated that walking between 3,000 and 5,000 steps daily (roughly 30 minutes to an hour), depending on the pace, can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Specifically, this physical activity could lead to a delay of about three years in the cognitive deterioration of people suffering from this condition. According to a facts page from the Alzheimer's Association, in 2025 there will be more than 7 million patients in the country.

The study provides more relevant data. Because, according to this scientific network, a walk of between 5,000 and 7,500 steps each day could also slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and delay it by up to seven years.

Not doing this type of physical exercise and leading a more sedentary life could mean patients' cognitive decline will be faster.

"This sheds light on why some people who appear to be on an Alzheimer’s disease trajectory don't decline as quickly as others. Lifestyle factors appear to impact the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that lifestyle changes may slow the emergence of cognitive symptoms if we act early," explained Jasmeer Chhatwal, PhD, one of the study's authors.

"These findings show us that it’s possible to build cognitive resilience and resistance to tau pathology in the setting of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. This is particularly encouraging for our quest to ultimately prevent Alzheimer’s disease dementia, as well as to decrease dementia due to multiple contributing factors," added Reisa Sperling, PhD, another co-author.

The study was based on a two- to 14-year analysis of 296 people between the ages of 50 and 90 who had no evidence of cognitive impairment. In addition, PET brain scans were also used to measure chemical levels and the physical activity performed by each of them was also evaluated.