The 10,000 steps rule It is truly classic, and has become the default target for smartwatches and activity bracelets. And although we sense that walking is good, science continues to give us the reasons to go for a walk, and above all how much time we should invest in this. The latest finding already indicates that walking can have a surprising connection with slower cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s proteins.
Why it is important. Alzheimer’s is a disease that is undoubtedly devastating due to the symptoms it generates in both the patient and the impact on family members. To this day still The origin of the disease continues to be investigatedand above all looking for therapeutic targets that allow us to create a treatment that cures the disease, since today we only have medications to alleviate some symptoms and try to slow down the disease a little. But nothing miraculous.
But another point of the investigation also focuses on prevention. The problem of not perfectly understanding why the disease originates makes it necessary to look for preventive remedies, such as walkingas this study has shown, but which adds to others that have already been seen such as education.
The key. The studyconducted by researchers from the Harvard Aging Brain Study (HABS), followed 296 cognitively healthy older adults over a long period, with follow-up up to 14 years in some cases. Unlike many studies that rely on participants’ memory (which are hardly objective), this one used objective trackers (pedometers) to measure the actual number of daily steps.
In parallel, they scanned their brains looking for the two “villain” proteins of Alzheimer’s: beta-amyloid (Aβ) and tau. Amyloid forms plaques out of neurons, while tau forms tangles inside of them, killing them. It is literally the garbage that cannot be eliminated from the brain and that begins to accumulate in the neurons and the space between them. This causes them to literally die from the accumulation of garbage inside and begin to generate the classic symptoms.
The results. The first news we found is that walking does not allow the amyloid neurons to be ‘clean’.
But the important thing here is that in people who already had high levels of amyloid, physical activity was associated with a slower accumulation of tau protein in a key region of the brain: the inferior temporal cortex. And this has been fundamental to see that the cognitive decline was much less.
Bottom line: amyloid may be the phosphorus, but tau is the gasoline. Physical activity does not extinguish the match, but it seems to make it harder for the gasoline to ignite inside our neuron. It is a new way to stop Alzheimer’s.
A magic number. The question we can ask ourselves in this case is clear: how many do we have to go to achieve this protective effect on tau? The researchers, after dividing the participants into different groups according to their physical activity, saw a ‘curvilinear relationship’.
This means that profits do not increase infinitely. The biggest jump in protection (slowing tau accumulation and cognitive decline) was seen when moving from the ‘inactive’ to the ‘low activity’ group.
Regarding the data, taking between 5,000 and 7,500 steps already offers a significant benefit, making going beyond 7,500 steps not offering an added benefit or additional protection. And that is why we already have the magic number that we should do daily on our walks.
A more realistic goal. This is fantastic news. For many older or sedentary people, the goal of 10,000 steps can seem daunting and unattainable. This study gives a little respite and lowers this goal (always talking about neurological protection) to 5,000-7,500 steps. Although this does not correlate with the recommended steps to have cardioprotection.
The authors conclude that targeting physical inactivity is a key strategy for future interventions. And for clinical trials, they suggest that it would be most effective to preferably enroll sedentary individuals who already show elevated amyloid in their brains, since they are the group that would benefit the most.
Images | Adam Cai Natasha Connell
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