by If they needed another reason to take their daily steps into science, science has only given them one.
A new study shows that daily walking can reduce the risk of a cognitive decline – especially in patients with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease.
Almost 3,000 participants aged 70 and 79 reported on their daily hiking habits over the course of 10 years, according to the research results, which are presented on Tuesday at the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Those who provide information to maintain or increase their walking habits over the years showed a greater improvement in the processing speed and the executive function.
The advantages of walking were particularly popular with a genetic predisposition to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Print, which was not checked or published in a professional diary.
“We know that the seated behavior increases with age and takes physical activity,” said Senior Study author Dr. Cindy Barha, assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Calgary in Alberta. “We therefore recommend reducing your sitting behavior by introducing small battles between the times when you have to sit down.”
How does Alzheimer’s disease work?
The Alzheimer disease is a serious form of dementia, which is believed that it is caused by a layout of harmful plaques in the brain that affect the way the nerve cells communicate and finally leads to their death.
When more nerve cells die, people with Alzheimer’s progressive memory loss, confusion, personality changes and physical defeats can develop. After all, the disease can be fatal and there is no healing.
It is assumed that genetics play an important role in the disease. In particular, genotypes, which are referred to as ApoE, influence the metabolism of plaque and other fats in the entire bloodstream. A specific way, APOE4, is known that the brain becomes more difficult to delete the plaques and is associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline.
About 15% to 25% of people have this version of the ApoE gene, and the only way to find out, consists of a genetic test, according to the US National Institutes of Health.
The mind body connection
Although the new study has not tested a uniform hiking scheme, Barha suggests running several times a day to break down the sedentary behavior and maintain consistent walking habits from year to year to prevent cognitive decline.
“More research is really necessary to determine how many steps it really take, but it definitely gets better,” she said. “The next steps are actually trying to actually try the minimum amount of walking for different subgroups (e.g.
A study in 2022 showed that even people who entered around 3,800 steps a day at every speed speed lowered it by 25%.
What could be going on between the brain and the rest of the body? Experts have several theories.
On the one hand, movement regularly helps that the body produces a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF, which is like fertilizer for your brain and helps it to grow more cells and form new connections.
“We think that there are proteins that are released from the muscle that migrate to the brain, and either start a reaction via the blood brain barrier or on the blood-brain barrier, which finally leads to an increase in the BDNF in the brain,” she said.
Another theory is that training reduces neuroinflammation, a common symptom for Alzheimer’s disease.
The brain sends immune cells that are known as microglia to attack the plaque structure. However, this can backfire, explained Dr. Christiane Wrann, a deputy professor of medicine at the Cardiovascular Research Center of the Massachusett General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School. Chronic inflammation can cause microglia to attack healthy brain cells and damage the brain connections.
“When you train, strengthen the gene expression program that Microglia has to work properly,” said Wrann.
Does a higher risk mean higher reward?
The researchers were surprised that walking compared to those without the greatest benefit for those with the Apoe4 gene. To understand why this is, more research is needed – but Barha has a theory.
“Before the study started, we believe that Apoe4 carrier had more space to grow with regard to perception, since they may have already recorded a cognitive decline,” she said. “You also have more space to show improvements.”
It is possible that the study itself also motivated the participants with APOE4 genes to run more than before, and the decline rate slowed down.
“This is a very strong example (that) it is never too late to start training,” said Wrann. “Every step counts and it is much better to make a practice regime that you actually like that you can actually adhere to.”
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