[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "From your 40s, walk until you sweat and are out of breath to prevent dementia"

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders in the elderly, causing difficulties in daily life due to the decline of various cognitive functions, including memory. In the early stages of Alzheimer's dementia, impairment of episodic memory is particularly prominent, and to date, there is no clear treatment other than symptom-improving drugs. Prevention through lifestyle improvements is considered more important than treatment for Alzheimer's disease at present. A recent study has shown that high-intensity walking exercise after middle age can delay or prevent cognitive decline related to Alzheimer's disease.

Professor Ji-wook Kim's research team from the Department of Psychiatry at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital published a paper titled “The Association Between High-Intensity Walking in Middle Age and Memory in Physically Healthy Elderly” in the August issue of the international Alzheimer's research journal, Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy. The team investigated the relationship between walking activity and cognitive function in 188 elderly individuals aged 65 to 90 who participated in the Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital cohort study. Among them, 107 had normal cognitive function, and 81 had mild cognitive impairment.

Citizens attending the Seongbuk-gu Walking Festival are walking.
[Photo by Seongbuk-gu]

The minimum walking time recognized as walking activity was defined as a total of 32 hours per year, or 40 minutes per week over a year, or 2 hours per week for a specific season lasting 4 months. Regarding walking activity time, participants were divided into three groups: ‘long duration’ (50 people) who walked 6 hours or more per week, ‘short duration’ (75 people) who walked less than 6 hours per week, and ‘non-walking’ (63 people) who did not meet the minimum walking activity level. Classification by walking intensity was based on the Mayo Clinic’s exercise intensity measurement method, considering breathing, sweating, and ability to talk, resulting in ‘high intensity’ (57 people), ‘low intensity’ (68 people), and ‘non-walking’ (63 people) groups. According to the starting age of walking activity, those who began between ages 40 and 64 were classified as ‘middle-age start’ (103 people), and those who began at age 65 or older as ‘elderly start’ (22 people).

Analysis showed that compared to the ‘non-walking’ group, the walking activity groups had higher cognitive function related to Alzheimer's disease and overall better cognitive abilities. The ‘high intensity’ group demonstrated superior overall cognitive function, including Alzheimer's-related cognition, compared to the ‘non-walking’ group, whereas the ‘low intensity’ group showed no significant difference in cognitive function compared to other groups. Additionally, the group that started walking activity in middle age had better overall cognitive function, including Alzheimer's-related cognition, than the group that started in old age. On the other hand, walking activity duration did not have a significant effect on cognitive function when controlling for walking intensity.

Citizens participating in the car-free Jamsu Bridge Walking Festival
[Photo by Seoul City]

Professor Ji-wook Kim explained, "This study shows that engaging in high-intensity walking in middle age, to the extent of sweating and heavy breathing, can delay or prevent cognitive decline related to Alzheimer's disease." He added, "Although the exact mechanism by which walking prevents Alzheimer's-related cognitive decline is still unclear, physical activities including walking may regulate levels of amyloid beta, which causes Alzheimer's disease, and promote neuroplasticity, thereby preventing brain function deterioration." Professor Kim also emphasized, "Since effective drugs for Alzheimer's disease are currently lacking, prevention and treatment strategies focusing on lifestyle changes such as physical activity are necessary. Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital has been conducting cohort studies related to Alzheimer's disease since 2020 and is producing meaningful results regarding lifestyle improvements for Alzheimer's prevention."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.