Walking associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer's and dementia

'There is currently no treatment that can stop or reverse the progress of Alzheimer's disease. The association identified between increased walking and decreased risk of dementia in the Honolulu study of ageing is intriguing, and merits further investigation. Men who walked less than quarter of a mile a day were at almost twice as much risk of developing dementia.

This is potentially a very interesting study, but needs to be interpreted carefully as physical health problems that increase the risk of developing dementia may also reduce physical fitness and walking capacity. The authors do not suggest possible mechanisms, but it is certainly becoming increasingly evident that what is beneficial for the heart is also good for the brain, including exercise.

More speculatively, there is also evidence from some animal studies that exercise increases the number of active stem cells in the brain, which may possibly be relevant to brain protection. Although the mechanisms require further study, walking would be generally beneficial as part of a healthy lifestyle, and may also reduce the risk of developing dementia.'

Professor Clive Ballard
Director of research