© Radiological Society of North America
According to the results of a new study, walking five miles a week may help slow the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease in adults. The study also suggests that walking could help those suffering from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition that is similar to Alzheimer’s, yet not as severe.
The Study
This was a long, ongoing study that lasted twenty years. It consisted of a total of 426 people, including 299 healthy adults with an average age of 78, as well as 127 cognitively impaired adults with an average age of 81. The cognitively impaired group breaks down to 44 adults with Alzheimer’s disease and 83 adults with MCI.
During the 20-year study, Dr. Cyrus Raji from the Department of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania analyzed the relationship between physical activity and brain structure for both groups of adults. Dr. Raji observed how far each of the patients walked every week.
After ten years, all the patients in the study underwent 3D MRI exams to get a better look at their brain volume. Brain volume is a vital sign of how healthy your brain is. When brain volume decreases, it means that brain cells are dying off. When brain volume remains high, it means that brain cells are not dying and optimal brain health is maintained.
In addition to identifying changes in brain volume via 3D MRI scans, researchers also gave patients mini-mental state exams (MMSE) to help track cognitive decline over the course of five years. Researchers then correlated physical activity levels with their MRI & MMSE results.
In every case, researchers found that the more physical activity patients did, the more brain volume they had. They came to the conclusion that cognitively impaired patients need to walk at least 5 miles a week, roughly 58 city blocks, to maintain brain volume and slow down further cognitive decline. Researchers added that healthy adults need to walk at least six miles a week, roughly 72 city blocks, to maintain brain volume and considerably reduce their chances of developing Alzheimer’s.
“We found that walking five miles per week protects the brain structure over 10 years in people with Alzheimer’s and MCI, especially in areas of the brain’s key memory and learning centers. We also found that these people had a slower decline in memory loss over five years. Alzheimer’s is a devastating illness, and unfortunately, walking is not a cure, but walking can improve your brain’s resistance to the disease and reduce memory loss over time.”
What We Can Learn From This Study
We’ve known for a long time that frequent exercise is important for health. But after reviewing the results of this new study, staying active and getting plenty of cardio exercise is more important than ever, especially for senior citizens. It’s not always easy, but try going for a walk at least once a day. Start off slow and work your way up to walking more and more.
Recommended Reading:
- The Best Exercises for Women Over 50
- List of Nutrition Tips for Senior Citizens
- Thigh Exercises: How You Can Get Thinner Thighs
- Study: Yoga May Help Counteract Fibromyalgia Symptoms
OK that makes a lot of sense dude, Wow.
hooray for walking! it often gives me a chance to clear my head
This article says that a cognitively impaired person needs to walk at least 5 miles, but then says that a regular person needs to walk at least 6. It doesn’t make sense. If walking helps a person improve health, then the person with the health problem should walk more than the regular person.
How important is exercise for the mind and body. Walking is a calm-workout that almost all can do it – instead of running and the benefits are huge – more with the studies endorsing them.
Cheers,
Gera
There are many doctors as well as research guys who have emphasized on walking. Till now we thought that itonly leads to weight loss butnow it has been proved that it can help in dealing with various health ailments.
Walking is one exercise that many older people are able to do. Of course, problems with hips and knees makes it difficult for some, but if it is possbile it is well worth doing. For fitness 30 minutes a day is ideal and this can consist of 15 minutes morning and 15 minutes evening. A good motivation is to get a dog.
The problem is that most people don’t realize that walking can actually help them. And this Alzheimers disease study proves that walking and other activities are good for our overall health.
Wow, what amazing news! My husband’s grandfather was just diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. I wish we had know this years ago. I wonder if he were to start walking 5 miles a week now, if it would help it not progress as quickly.
Good luck with your grandfather Victoria, its a hard time for us all.. Thanks for sharing this post with us.
J’adoe manger du chocolat le lundi le mardi et surtout le vendredi, merci pour ce uper blog aui à semble-il revolutionné ma vie !
One time I made my coffee after lunch while cleaning the table with used plates and water jug when my mug just got lost, as I look all over i mistakenly placed at the fridge. What I was doing was really a threat to me. I remember how old people become senile because of Alzheimer, though I am still on my thirties. From that time on I always read article about its prevention, and your post is very informative.
Being one of the laziest women on this planet, walking is basically the only form of exercise I get. Now I have another excuse to take the scenic route
I just bought 2 more pets. These always seem to keep me busy
If walking helps a person improve health, then the person with the health problem should walk more than the regular person.
This really is a great research because it’s always good to know on how to slow down or prevent diseases like this one. I really hope they will continue with these kinds of study’s. Great article!
This is very alarming. I should tell my couch potato mom about this. The only thing she got a long walk is inside the grocery store. She is too lazy to roam around the block. I am forcing her to take a walk with me but always decline my invitation. No way I have to tend for an Alzheimer adult when I can still prevent it.
For fitness 30 minutes a day is ideal and this can consist of 15 minutes morning and 15 minutes evening. A good motivation is to get a dog. |
Walking is a calm-workout that almost all can do it – instead of running and the benefits are huge – more with the studies endorsing them. We can prevent Alzheimer if we have to exercise our body so that our nerves will remain normal.
it means that brain cells are dying off. When brain volume remains high, it means that brain cells are not dying and optimal brain health is maintained.keep us an update please.
Great! there’s a lot of sense man! Thanks for sharing..
Pretty good post. I just came across your site and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be coming back and I hope you post again soon
This should be known all over! There is a vast number of people who are affected by Alzheimer. No one has to pay a big amount by just walking around the park, then why not do it now!
Surprised that walking has a direct relationship with brain volume. Since humans are walking less and less now on a larger time scale, I wonder if this will have an evolutionary effect on human brain size going into the future a million years or so. Micro brained humans of the future
Pretty good post. I just came across your site and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed
reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be coming back and I hope you post again soon.
. It doesn’t make sense. If walking helps a person improve health, then the person with the health problem should walk more than the regular person.
What a brilliant post. You should do a series!
I did a sort of blogging for dummies over
on one of the craft forums and I thought it was too simple for them, but the amount of
emails I got asking questions just like what you addressed was unbelievable. As young
people today we have grown up with computers, but it’s easy to forget that even people just a few years older have not! Really good post!
Great info!it means that brain cells are dying off. When brain volume remains high, it means that brain cells are not dying and optimal brain health is maintained.
This article says that a cognitively impaired person needs to walk at least 5 miles, but then says that a regular person needs to walk at least 6. |
If walking helps a person improve health, then the person with the health problem should walk more than the regular person.
Walking period helps, if you walk 1 mile a day even half a mile it helps your burn calories and increase your metabolism a bit. Where a lot of people say I walk every day to and from work, that should count towards my goal. The issue lies that when you are walking to work for example your stress levels are higher so your body does not take the benefits of walking when you do it for pure exercise. So do yourself a favor and walk any length of time or miles you’ll see some results if you do
I wonder if this will have an evolutionary effect on human brain size going into the future a million years or so. Micro brained humans of the future. |
My uncle have Alzheimer’s, I must show this to him. This is the kind of information should be posted freely.
Now I will start walking… Alzheimer ‘s disease will be my motivation to have a good brain health.. Thanks for sharing this information.
well good to hear, thanks for this very valuable information. sick or not we all do need to exercise and walking is one of the best way.