Walking 9,800 steps a day reduces the chances of suffering from dementia by 50%

The study, co-directed by the Spaniard Borja del Pozo Cruz, analyzed data from more than 78,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79 who used smart watches The chances of suffering from dementia decrease as people increase their walking pace, and may even decrease in 62%As for the most sedentary, people who walked 3,800 steps a day at any speed reduced the risk of dementia by 25%Walking an average of 9,800 steps a day can reduce the chances of developing dementia by 50%. This is evidenced by a new study published by the medical journal JAMA Neurology, which analyzed data from more than 78,000 people between the ages of 40 and 79 who used smart watches. In addition to the number of steps, the rhythm also matters. People who walked more than 40 steps per minute reduced their risk of dementia by 57% with just 6,315 steps per day. Therefore, the chances of developing dementia decrease as people increase their walking pace, and can even be reduced by 62% when walking 112 steps per minute for 30 minutes a day. “It’s walking briskly,” says study co-author Borja del Pozo Cruz, adjunct associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark and principal investigator in health sciences at the University of Cadiz. “We agree that this is a very interesting find,” del Pozo Cruz said. “Our opinion is that the intensity of the steps matters beyond the volume. The technology could be used to track not only the number of steps, but also the pace, so these types of metrics can also be incorporated into business watches. More research is needed on this.” A 25% reduction when walking 3,800 steps For those who lead a more sedentary lifestyle, the study results are also encouraging. People who walked approximately 3,800 steps a day, at any speed, reduced their risk of dementia by 25%. “In fact, it’s a message that doctors could use to motivate very sedentary adults: Many can do 4,000 steps, even those who are less fit or not very motivated,” he added. “Perhaps the most active and fit people should aim for 10,000, where we see the maximum effects.” What was the study about? into two categories: less than 40 steps per minute, which is more, and more than 40 steps per minute. They also differentiated those people who presented the highest performance: those who took the most steps in 30 minutes. They then compared each person’s steps to their diagnosis of dementia of any kind. In addition to age, ethnicity, education, gender, and socioemotional status, the researchers also took into account variables such as poor diet, smoking, alcohol use, medication use, sleep problems, and history. of cardiovascular problems. Despite the discovery, this is only an observational study, so it cannot establish a direct cause and effect between walking and a lower risk of dementia. Additionally, “the age range of the participants may have resulted in limited cases of dementia, meaning our results may not be generalizable to older populations,” the study said.