Moderate step count daily may delay cognitive decline by 7 yrs: Study

Walking up to 5,000 steps everyday may help delay cognitive decline by three years on average while 7,500 steps daily may delay it by seven years, a study in around 300 individuals has found. Sedentary individuals were seen to have a significantly faster buildup of tau proteins in the brain -- contributes to neuron death and is considered a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease -- and more rapid declines in cognition and daily functioning.

"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," senior author Jasmeer Chhatwal from the Mass General Brigham, a US-based health care system, said.

"(The study) sheds light on why some people who appear to be on an Alzheimer's disease trajectory don't decline as quickly as others," Chhatwal said. Alzheimer's disease is an ageing-related disorder, in which one's memory, speech and thought processes can steadily decline, eventually hampering everyday functioning.