Forget 10,000. According to a study, taking just 3,000 steps each day is enough for older adults to protect themselves against Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is the most common type of dementia, an umbrella term describing conditions and illnesses that impact cognition and memory.
In a 2025 study published in the journal Nature Medicine, Harvard University researchers followed about 300 adults, ages 50 to 90, for up to 14 years. The adults all had early signs of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains, but did not yet show cognitive changes affecting their daily lives.
Participants wore pedometers to monitor their daily step counts. Adults who took at least 3,000 steps a day had a lower accumulation in their brains of tau proteins, which are known to increase as Alzheimer’s disease progresses. Tau proteins are also linked to cognitive decline, according to Science Daily.
Compared to sedentary people, those who took 3,000 to 5,000 steps each day slowed cognitive decline by three years on average. Participants who took between 5,000 and 7,500 steps per day slowed their pace by an average of seven years. Overall, walking 3,000 to 7,500 steps per day seems to be the most beneficial.
People who walked more than 7,500 steps each day saw no additional brain health benefits. The researchers used brain scans and cognitive tests during the study to measure the amount of tau proteins and amyloid β proteins (which also accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease) in the participants’ brains.
There are limitations to this research. Participants were mostly white and highly educated; it is unclear whether these same results would apply to other groups of people. Pedometers also did not capture a person’s entire exercise history, how quickly or slowly a person walked, or whether they participated in exercise that did not increase step counts, such as swimming or weightlifting.
Other research indicates that walking faster rather than slower may be even better for your brain health.
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Other lifestyle changes may help reduce your risk of dementia or slow cognitive decline.
Lacing up your walking shoes has major benefits for several systems in your body: your cardiovascular system, your musculoskeletal system, and, of course, your brain, as this research suggests.
Dr. Benjamin Rosenstein, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, agrees and previously told HuffPost that movement is an important way to protect your brain health and that there are other things you can do as well.
Rosenstein also recommends following a nutritious diet such as the MIND diet, inspired by the Mediterranean diet, or the DASH diet, which works to lower blood pressure.
Both meal plans prioritize high intake of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and foods low in saturated fat.
Controlling factors like high cholesterol and high blood pressure also help protect your cognition by ensuring your brain gets the oxygen and blood flow it needs.
How much you sleep also impacts your risk of dementia. “People need to get enough sleep because the brain renews itself during deep sleep and decreases its concentration of beta-amyloid, which is the toxic protein that contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. James Ellison, a geriatric psychiatrist at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, told HuffPost.
Learning new skills throughout life and in old age is also encouraged, whether it is learning a new language, a different hobby or an unfamiliar task at work.
“Some literature suggests that people who have more challenges throughout their lives, whether it’s a demanding job, more challenging or intellectually stimulating hobbies, or being self-taught and simply learning and experiencing things, tend to have a lower risk of developing dementia later in life,” Dr. David Gonzalez, a neuropsychologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, told HuffPost.
If you notice signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, including memory loss, difficulty following conversations, difficulty multitasking, or forgetting words while speaking, you should talk to a doctor.
“It’s so hard not to be afraid of something when most people have someone in their life who has been touched by this disease, and it feels like the future risk of getting it…is out of our control. But the things we’ve talked about, all the lifestyle changes that can be improved and that are within our control,” Dr. Christina Prather, director of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the School of Medicine and Medicine, told HuffPost. Health Sciences at George Washington University.
As the U.S. population ages, data shows the number of people with dementia will increase. Fourteen million adults are expected to suffer from dementia in 2060, compared to around 7 million today.
Genetics and other hereditary factors can increase the risk of developing the disease, so not everything is in your control. Exercise, a nutritious diet, good sleep hygiene and more can all help reduce your risk or slow progression if you are diagnosed.
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