Daily walking may be a powerful weapon against Alzheimer's disease

A new study from Mass General Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US shows that regular exercise can protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease. Even a few thousand steps a day can delay the onset of the disease by years.

Researchers found that moderate physical activity not only improves cognitive function but also slows the buildup of harmful proteins in the brain.

The study, published in Nature Medicine , looked at nearly 300 people between the ages of 50 and 90. None of them had signs of dementia at the start of the study. They wore pedometers and had brain scans to measure the levels of Alzheimer's-related proteins.

The results were striking: people who walked between 3,000 and 5,000 steps daily only showed signs of cognitive decline three years later on average. For those who walked between 5,000 and 7,500 steps, this took up to seven years longer than those who walked less or not at all. The least active participants were more likely to develop tau protein accumulation and experienced a more rapid decline in their cognitive function.

Metro previously wrote that walking turns out to be incredibly good for your health.

According to lead researcher Dr. Jasmeer Chhatwal, the study sheds new light on why some people at increased risk for Alzheimer's decline much more slowly than others. "Lifestyle factors appear to influence the earliest stages of Alzheimer's. This suggests that we can slow the process if we intervene early," he says.

The research primarily shows that exercise slows the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain: a crucial step in the development of Alzheimer's. People with low levels of these proteins showed little decline, regardless of how much exercise they did.

Neurologist Dr. Reisa Sperling from the same research group calls the results encouraging. "We see that physical activity helps build cognitive resilience and resistance to the brain changes associated with Alzheimer's," she says. "This gives hope that we can partially prevent the disease in the future."

The researchers want to further investigate which forms of exercise are most effective, and how intensity or duration influences brain health.

First author Dr. Wai-Ying Wendy Yau emphasizes that even small changes can make a difference. "We want to encourage people to protect their brains by staying physically active. Every step counts; even small improvements can have major effects in the long run."

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