Joggers might be braving the cold to get fit, but the simple stroll shouldn’t be overlooked for its health benefits. Doctors are always debating what the magic number of daily steps is to feel the benefits. But new research shows that even short daily walks are beneficial in staving off dementia, and it’s never too late to start.
As few as 3,000 to 5,000 steps a day slows cognitive decline in older adults who have higher levels of the specific protein that makes them more predisposed to develop Alzheimer’s. That’s the equivalent of roughly 2.2 to 3.5 kilometres, or 1.2 to 2.2 miles.
Some 300 people with high levels of this protein, called amyloid-beta, participated in the nine-year study from Harvard Medical School, published in Nature Medicine. Those who took little or no activity developed deterioration in brain function, whereas those who took 3,000 to 5,000 steps showed slower cognitive decline.
Although 10,000 steps per day is a popular goal, the study showed no apparent increased benefit from walking 7,500 steps or more. And the benefit, as it turns out, isn’t just from the boosted blood flow to the brain.
As Ronan Briody, a physiotherapist at KYN London Luxury Care Home, explained to the Telegraph, walking uses the brain more than we think.
“It might feel like a natural physical movement, but the whole brain is lighting up,” he said, since “it is working hard to help navigate where we step and to detect any obstacles in the way while constantly taking in new information about the environment around us.”
Briody said he’s noticed that residents who “are more inactive seem to have compromised brain health”.
The World Health Organisation recommends 150-300 minutes of exercise a week. This is between 30 and 60 minutes a day. He explained that an older person can start off walking 10 minutes a day and slowly increase.
The physiotherapist explained that as strength develops, being mobile becomes easier as their confidence grows.
Inflammation plays a role in developing dementia and regular exercise releases anti-inflammatory molecules called cytokines.
A good diet can also help counteract the condition.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
