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Now, amyloid plaque predicts progression to Alzheimer’s disease in terms of clinical effects, as well as people with Alzheimer’s disease having higher levels of amyloid plaque.
What they did in this study is they tracked these people for multiple years in terms of how much they moved using a pedometer, basically a step count meter.
What they found is the people with preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, basically a buildup of amyloid plaque in their brain, had a dramatically slower progression towards Alzheimer’s disease the more they walked.
This was so significant that they found that at 3,000 to 5,000 steps a day, people had the equivalent benefit of three years of age slowing. If they were doing 5,000 to 7,000 steps a day, it was an equivalent to seven years of age slowing, aka having a brain that was seven years younger than anticipated.
This is incredibly important research with the understanding that even after some of the brain changes start to happen that can predict risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease, simply walking, moving your body may be a powerful way to slow the rate of cognitive decline.