Take strides in combating Alzheimer's disease

Walking a few thousand steps a day can slow cognitive decline in older adults who are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to research published in November.

- Dana G. Smith

New research shows that getting between 3,000 and 5,000 steps daily can slow cognitive decline in older adults who are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

(ST PHOTO KUA CHEE SIONG)

Getting about 3,000 to 5,000 daily steps was advantageous compared with doing less physical activity. The benefit peaked at around 5,000 to 7,500 steps.

The link between exercise and dementia is well established, and many neurologists say physical activity is one of the best ways to reduce the odds of developing the condition.

The new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, sheds light on what might be playing out in the brain and who could benefit most from exercise.

“We've known for several decades that physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia,” said Dr Kirk Erickson, chair of neuroscience at the AdventHealth Research Institute, who was not involved with the research.

What the new study has done that is quite important and unique, he said, is identify how exercise might be influencing some of the proteins implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.

The study followed nearly 300 older adults between the ages of 50 and 90 for an average of nine years. None of the participants had cognitive impairment at the start of the study, but about 30 per cent had considerable buildup of the protein amyloid-beta in their brains.