Walking May Be โLinked to Delayed alzheimer’s Symptoms, Study โคSuggests
November 5, 2025 – Balance and Health – A new study indicates a โpotential link between daily step count and the progression of alzheimer’s disease, even before symptoms manifest.Research suggests that individuals who โregularly walk more may โexperience a delay in the onset of Alzheimer’s-relatedโ changes in the brain.
Theโค study, involving 50 to โ90-year-olds with no initial signs of dementia or memory problems, utilized PET scans to measure levels of beta-amyloid and tau – proteins associated with Alzheimer’s – in participants’ brains.โ participants also wore pedometers for a week to establish their average daily step โฃcount.Researchers than analyzed the relationship between stepโ count, brain protein levels, and cognitive โfunction over time.
While the exact mechanisms are stillโฃ under examination, experts believe increased physical activity like walking could improve blood flow to the brain and โreduce inflammation, โpotentially โขslowing the disease’s progression.
“Researchers don’t know exactly why exercise might โคbe beneficialโ forโ cognitive health,” stated researcher Yau, “One plausible explanation is that greater physical activity may improve blood flow to the brain or reduce inflammation, โwhich could slow the โprogression of Alzheimer’s โขdisease.”
However,the study has โlimitations. The pedometers only โฃtracked step count,โ not how โthose steps โwere taken (walking versus running) or whether participants engaged in other formsโ of exercise like resistance training or swimming. Moreover, the study group was primarily comprised โof highly educated, non-Hispanic โคwhite individuals, โฃpotentially limitingโฃ theโ broad applicability of the findings.
Experts emphasize that the study demonstrates an association,not definitive proof โof causation. โRonald Petersen,โข a neurology professor at โฃthe Mayo Clinic,โค noted theโ study’s “sound methodology” but โcautioned against โขgeneralizing the results to the wider population. โฃ”We still โdon’t know the โmechanisms and influences of exercise,” he said.
Epidemiological data supports the ideaโ that a lifetime of moderate to vigorous physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. However, intervention โขstudies involving exercise programs for individuals already showing early โsigns of cognitive impairment โhave yielded โฃinconsistent results. John โThyfault, โdirectorโ of the KU Diabetes โขInstitute, suggests that lifelong exercise habits likely have a greater impactโ than short-term interventions.
Despite the need for further research, experts agree that increasing physical activity, including walking, offers numerous health โคbenefits.”There will be no negative side effects from increasing walking time and physical activity,”โฃ Thyfault stated. “All results will be positive.” He added that even if โฃexerciseโ doesn’t fully prevent Alzheimer’s, it can โmitigate or delay the disease’s side effects.