Reducing the risk of dementia by walking: The number of steps is important

A healthy lifestyle includes a balanced diet and adequate exercise. How can you prevent dementia just by walking?

More and more people develop dementia as they grow older. According to estimates German Alzheimer's Association (Dalzj) About 1.8 million citizens in Germany are affected by this widespread disease – and this trend is on the rise. In addition to the genetic disposition that was calculated Alzheimer's Disease Research Initiative Although it only occurs in about one percent of all Alzheimer's diseases, an individual's lifestyle plays an important role in individual risk. Diet and exercise are two factors that can affect the risk of dementia. The number of steps taken each day can also be crucial, as results of one study show.

Reducing your risk of dementia: How many steps you should take each day

for you Study it in JAMA Neuroscience Has been publishedA team of researchers from Great Britain analyzed data from more than 78,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79. Scientists examined the number of steps associated with the lowest risk of developing dementia. To do this, participants' daily step counts were recorded using a pedometer and then assessed. The researchers also compared the steps taken by people diagnosed with dementia seven years later. The step frequencies for the study were divided into three categories: incidental steps (less than 40 steps per minute), target steps (more than 40 steps per minute), and peak step frequencies (participants who walked 30 minutes per day—not necessarily consecutively—the fastest).

The results of the study showed that people who walked approximately 9,830 steps per day had a 50 percent lower risk of developing dementia within seven years. In addition, people in the second category of step frequencies (more than 40 steps per minute) were able to reduce their risk of dementia by 57% with about 6,320 steps per day. According to study author Professor Borja del Pozo Cruz from the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, this “brisk walking is very similar to brisk walking.” But even fewer steps (about 3,800 per day) at any frequency can reduce the risk of dementia by 25 percent, according to the study results.

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Healthy aging without dementia: Walking fast can slow the aging process

But it's not just the number of steps that plays a decisive role: as the study also showed, speed is also important. Those participants who walked for 30 minutes a day at a very brisk pace of 112 steps per minute were able to reduce their risk of dementia by 62 percent, the largest reduction. By walking fast, you can not only prevent dementia, but you can also slow down the aging process in general. Another conclusion comes to this conclusion Stady From the specialized magazine nature. According to this, people who walk faster stay young longer and can extend their lives by up to 16 years.