This is the 77th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.
Thousands of scientific studies confirm the benefits of walking, one of the most extensively researched forms of physical activity due to its accessibility and broad health impacts.
We know it is good for us: the contemporary puzzle is how, and how much, walking is best.
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New research shows that we do not need to take as many steps as previously thought to reap significant rewards.
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University in the US recently collaborated on a study to explore how many steps made a difference to brain health.
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Wendy Yau Wai-ying and Dr Jasmeer Chhatwal examined older adults who had normal cognitive function, but whose brains contained varying levels of amyloid – a protein build-up considered the earliest hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
Amyloid is the first protein to accumulate, but tau is the protein more closely tied to the actual memory decline seen in Alzheimer’s. Tau spread and memory-related cognitive decline generally occur only when amyloid is already present.