WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - According to a new study, people who are very physically active in middle age (45-64) and older age (65 and above) have over a 40 percent lower risk of developing dementia.
Researchers at Boston University looked at how physical activity in adulthood relates to dementia risk. Their study, published in JAMA Network Open, followed thousands of people for 14 to 37 years.
Participants wore a pedometer for a week to measure their daily steps. They also took yearly memory tests and had brain scans every few years to look for signs of Alzheimer's disease.
When researchers divided participants into five groups based on activity level, they found that the most active 40 percent of people in middle age had a 40-41 percent lower dementia risk than the least active 20 percent. Among older adults, the most active groups had a 36-45 percent lower risk.
Researchers explained that a protein called amyloid builds up first in Alzheimer's. This then leads to another protein, tau, forming harmful tangles in the brain. These tau tangles are what cause brain cells to fail, leading to memory and thinking problems.
The study found that daily step count didn't affect amyloid levels, but it did affect tau buildup and memory decline. Among people who already had high amyloid levels, those who did little or no physical activity developed more tau tangles and experienced worse thinking ability after nine years.
Notably, walking 3,001-5,000 steps a day was linked to fewer tau tangles and slower memory decline. More than 5,000 steps was even better. However, going above 7,500 steps didn't add extra benefit.
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