Walking asโ few as 3,000 steps daily is linked too a slower โrate โof cognitive decline in โขindividuals โwith early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published November 6, โ2023, in JAMA Neurology. The research offers a promising, accessible intervention for managing the progression of theโ debilitating disease, which currently affects over 6.7 million Americans.
The findingsโ suggest even modest increases in physical activity can yield significant benefits for brain health. While previous research established a connection betweenโค exercise โand dementia prevention, this study focuses on those already experiencing symptoms, revealing that โincreased movement can โdemonstrably slow the โdisease’s advancement.Researchers tracked step counts and cognitive function in 62 โคindividuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s, finding a correlation between โคhigher daily step totals and preserved cognitive abilities over a period of 18 months.
Participantsโข in the study, conducted by researchers โat Boston University, wore accelerometers โฃtoโ track their daily step counts. The analysis โrevealed that every 2,000 steps taken โคbeyond a baseline ofโค 3,000 steps was associated withโข a slower rate โof cognitive decline. Thisโค suggests that simplyโ increasingโข one’s โaverage step count-such as upping the count from 3,000 to 5,000-leads to marginally betterโข health benefits.โ
Claire Thornton of The Boston globe reported that the studyโฃ underscores the potential of lifestyle interventions in combating Alzheimer’s.She can be reached at claire.thornton@globe.com or followed on X @claire_thornto.