• Posted November 4, 2025

5,000 Steps a Day May Help Protect the Brain From Alzheimer’s, Study Finds

Getting in more daily steps may help slow early brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, a new long-term study suggests.

Researchers followed nearly 300 older adults for up to 14 years and found that people who already showed high levels of beta-amyloid (an early sign of Alzheimer’s) lost memory and thinking skills more slowly if they were physically active. 

Even a low or moderate amount of daily movement made a difference, the study said.

In fact, adults who walked about 5,000 to 7,500 steps a day saw their thinking skills decline at half the rate of people who were mostly inactive, the study found. 

Beyond that, more movement didn’t offer much extra benefit, suggesting that people don’t necessarily need to hit 10,000 steps to see results.

The study, published Nov. 3 in the journal Nature Medicine, also found that exercise did not slow the buildup of beta-amyloid. Instead, it was linked to slower growth of tau, another toxic brain protein that experts believe plays a direct role in cell damage.

“We’re all working on better treatments, better drugs, but we can’t underestimate the value in these lifestyle factors that people can implement on their own to protect their brain health, study author Dr. Wendy Yau of Mass General Brigham told STAT News. 

Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s today, and that number is expected to double by 2060. 

While two drugs, Leqembi and Kisunla, are now available to slow the disease, doctors say lifestyle habits such as physical activity are still important.

Because the study was observational, it does not prove that exercise directly prevents Alzheimer’s. But experts say it supports a growing body of research showing that movement is a “modifiable risk factor,” meaning it’s something people can change to support better brain health.

More information

BYU Life Sciences has more on how exercise affects the brain.

SOURCE: STAT News, Nov. 3, 2025