Step count is a common method for giving the general public physical activity goals. It has been proposed that an ideal dose of 6000–8000 steps can lower the risk of mortality from all causes.

Increased step counts, especially more vigorous steps, may reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cancer mortality and incident diabetes.  

Step-based physical activity goals are simple to understand and remember, making them a good choice for dementia prevention recommendations.

We are unaware of any research on the dose-response relationship between daily steps and stepping intensity (i.e., cadence or steps per minute) with the occurrence of dementia. Determining the ideal volume and intensity of stepping for dementia prevention requires an understanding of this connection.

In this new study, they looked at the dose-response relationship between daily step count and intensity and incidence of all-cause dementia in a sizable sample of UK individuals wearing wrist accelerometers.

This study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) reporting guideline and used data from the UK Biobank from February 2013 to December 2015.

The mean (SD) age of the 78,430 participants in this study was 61.1 (7.9) years; 35 040 men and 43 390 women made up the study’s male and female participants, respectively; 881 participants were Asian (1.1%), 641 Black (0.8%), 427 Mixed (0.5%), 75 852 White (96.7%), and 629 participants were of another, unspecified race (0.8%).

866 people experienced dementia over a median (IQR) follow-up period of 6.9 (6.4-7.5) years (mean [SD] age, 68.3 [5.6] years; 480 [55.4%] males and 386 [54.6%] females; 5 [0.6%] Asian, 6 [0.7% Black, 4 [0.4%] mixed race, 821 [97.6%] White, and 6 [0.7%] other).

Female participants in the sample who were younger and healthier (defined as lower rates of alcohol and cigarette use and higher rates of fruit and vegetable eating) walked more.

They claim that walking roughly 9,800 steps per day appeared to offer the most protection against dementia risk, but 3,800 steps per day were still linked to a 25 percent lower incidence of the disease.

Intense stepping strengthened connections. The findings of this study may be used to support step-based suggestions in future dementia prevention recommendations, according to the authors.

The observational design and low response rate (5.5%) of individuals in the UK Biobank are limitations of this study, while research has shown that these factors do not always affect the relationships between physical activity and health outcomes.

Image Credit: Getty

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