A scientific study revealed that taking 5,000 steps a day may reduce the negative biological changes that occur in the brain as a result of Alzheimer’s disease.
The scientific team from several research institutions, such as Harvard Medical School, the Sunnybrook Research Institute, the University of Toronto, the Banner Institute for Alzheimer’s Studies, and others, explained that walking 5,000 steps a day reduces the accumulation of tau protein, which is one of the main elements of Alzheimer’s disease, as these proteins spread in the brain as the disease progresses, and this leads to the deterioration of memory and cognitive functions.
The study, published by the scientific journal Nature, which specializes in scientific research, included approximately 300 adults between the ages of 50 and 90 who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the pre-clinical stage, when symptoms clearly appear in patients.
As part of the study, volunteers wore a device to measure the number of steps and underwent a brain examination to determine the rates of accumulation of tau proteins and amyloid clumps, which are also considered causes of Alzheimer’s, and were subjected to annual tests to measure memory efficiency.
The study showed that volunteers who walked longer distances, ranging from 5 to 7 thousand steps per day, had fewer tau proteins and maintained their mental abilities for a longer period. In fact, volunteers who walked only 3 thousand steps per day also had fewer disease symptoms.
The Health Day website, which specializes in scientific research, quoted researchers participating in the study as saying that walking 5,000 steps a day is an achievable goal for elderly adults, and it has now become easy to track the number of steps taken by each individual thanks to modern electronic measuring methods such as smart watches, for example.