"The researchers analyzed data from 296 participants aged 50-90 years old in the Harvard Aging Brain Study who were all cognitively unimpaired at the beginning of the study. They used PET brain scans to measure baseline levels of amyloid-beta in plaques and tau in tangles and assessed the participants' physical activity using waistband pedometers. The participants received annual follow-up cognitive assessments for between two and 14 years (average, 9.3 years), and a subset received repeated PET scans to track changes in tau."
""This sheds light on why some people who appear to be on an Alzheimer's disease trajectory don't decline as quickly as others," said senior author Jasmeer Chhatwal of the Mass General Brigham Department of Neurology. "Lifestyle factors appear to impact the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that lifestyle changes may slow the emergence of cognitive symptoms if we act early.""
Data from 296 participants aged 50–90 in the Harvard Aging Brain Study, all cognitively unimpaired at baseline, included PET scans measuring amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles, waistband pedometer step counts, and annual cognitive assessments over 2–14 years (average 9.3 years) with a subset receiving repeated tau PET scans. Higher daily step counts correlated with slower cognitive decline and reduced tau accumulation. Walking 3,000–5,000 steps daily delayed cognitive decline by about three years on average, while 5,000–7,500 steps daily delayed decline by about seven years. Sedentary individuals showed faster tau buildup and more rapid functional decline.
Read at Harvard Gazette
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