A new study offers hope for people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease: walking more each day—even just a little—might help slow the disease’s progress.
Researchers from Mass General Brigham found that physical activity could delay memory loss and thinking problems in older adults with early signs of Alzheimer’s in the brain.
The study, published in Nature Medicine, focused on people who had higher levels of a protein called amyloid-beta in their brains. This protein is known to be linked to Alzheimer’s. The researchers found that people who walked 3,000 to 5,000 steps a day experienced a delay in cognitive decline by about three years.
Those who walked 5,000 to 7,500 steps a day delayed decline by around seven years. On the other hand, people who were mostly inactive had more rapid memory loss and a faster buildup of another harmful protein called tau.
Dr. Jasmeer Chhatwal, the senior author of the study, said this may help explain why some people who seem to be on track to develop Alzheimer’s don’t get worse as quickly. He believes that making lifestyle changes early—before symptoms show—might help slow down the disease.
The researchers looked at data from 296 people aged 50 to 90 who were part of the Harvard Aging Brain Study. All participants had normal thinking abilities when the study began. They wore step counters to track their daily movement and received brain scans to check for amyloid-beta and tau proteins.
The team followed participants for two to 14 years, with an average follow-up of about nine years. Some participants had repeated brain scans during that time to measure changes.
The results were striking: in people with high amyloid-beta levels, those who walked more had slower memory decline and slower growth of tau tangles. Tau buildup is strongly linked to how quickly thinking and memory decline in Alzheimer’s. The researchers believe that most of the benefit of walking came from slowing down tau buildup in the brain.
Interestingly, for people who had low levels of amyloid-beta, walking more didn’t seem to make much of a difference. These individuals stayed mentally sharp, and their brains didn’t show much tau buildup either.
Dr. Reisa Sperling, another co-author of the study, said these findings are exciting because they show how simple habits like walking can help build “cognitive resilience”—the brain’s ability to stay healthy even when harmful proteins are present.
The research team now wants to explore more details about physical activity—like how intense it should be and how long people need to stay active—to get the best brain benefits. They also want to better understand how exercise affects brain biology.
This study may also help design future clinical trials. Researchers could test if regular physical activity can slow memory problems in people already at risk due to early Alzheimer’s changes in their brains.
Lead author Dr. Wai-Ying Wendy Yau summed it up simply: “Every step counts.” Even small increases in daily movement can add up over time and make a real difference in protecting memory and brain health.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about the protective power of dietary antioxidants against Alzheimer’s, and eating habits linked to higher Alzheimer’s risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that oral cannabis extract may help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms, and Vitamin E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
The study is published in Nature Medicine.
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