2024-01-15 19:14:15
PrintShare
A healthy lifestyle includes a balanced diet and sufficient exercise. How you can prevent dementia by simply walking.
More and more people are developing dementia as they get older. According to estimates by the German Alzheimer Society (DAlzG) Around 1.8 million citizens in Germany are affected by the widespread disease – and the trend is rising. In addition to the genetic disposition, which according to the Alzheimer’s Research Initiative Although it only occurs in around one percent of all Alzheimer’s diseases, one’s own lifestyle plays an important role in the individual risk. Diet and exercise are two factors that can affect dementia risk. The number of steps taken each day can also be crucial, as the results of a study show.
Reduce the risk of dementia: How many steps you should take every day
For their study, researchers used a pedometer to record the participants’ step frequency. This was then compared with the diagnosis of dementia seven years later. © Monkey Business 2/IMAGO
For your Study that in JAMA Neurology magazine has been published, a team of researchers from Great Britain analyzed data from over 78,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79. The scientists examined which number of steps was associated with the lowest risk of dementia. To do this, the participants’ daily step count was recorded using a pedometer and then evaluated. The researchers also compared the steps taken by people who were diagnosed with dementia seven years later. Step frequencies were divided into three categories for the study: casual steps (less than 40 steps per minute), targeted steps (more than 40 steps per minute), and peak step frequency (participants who walked 30 minutes a day – not necessarily consecutively – on fastest).
The results of the study showed that people who walked approximately 9,830 steps daily had a 50 percent lower risk of developing dementia within seven years. In addition, people who belonged to the second category of step frequencies (more than 40 steps per minute) were able to reduce their risk of dementia by 57 percent with around 6,320 steps per day. According to study author Prof. Borja del Pozo Cruz from the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, this is “brisk walking, more like a power walk”. But even fewer steps (approx. 3,800 per day) at any pace can reduce the risk of dementia by 25 percent, according to the study results.
Don’t miss out: You can find everything regarding health in the newsletter of our partner 24vita.de.
Aging healthily without dementia: Walking quickly can slow down the aging process
But it’s not just the number of steps that plays a crucial 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 the risk of dementia by 62 percent, which is the greatest reduction. By walking quickly you can not only prevent dementia, but also slow down your aging process in general. Another conclusion comes to this conclusion Study from the specialist magazine Nature. According to this, people who walk faster stay young longer and can extend their lives by up to 16 years.
Reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s through diet: Protect the brain with twelve foods
View photo series
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions regarding medical conditions.
1705354546
#steps #day
