Doctors Say This Low-Impact Exercise Can Slash Your Risk of Dementia By 22%

Approximately 57 million people in the world were living with dementia in 2021, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This statistic is expected to skyrocket nearly threefold to 153 million by 2050. Adjusting your diet and lifestyle can have a positive impact on brain health, and therefore, lower the risk of developing cognitive diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. To round out the trifecta, new research suggests doing this low-impact exercise to increase brain strength.

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Research shows that cycling boosts brain health and reduces dementia risk.

The secret to boosting brain power? Bike riding. A new study published in JAMA Network found that cycling in midlife can lead to better brain health, and subsequently, slash your risk of dementia by 22 percent.

“Our findings suggest that active travel modes, particularly cycling and mixed-cycling, are associated with higher hippocampal volumes. The hippocampus is critical for memory and cognitive function, and greater volume is generally considered a sign of better brain health,” study co-author Liangkai Chen, PhD, an associate professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, said in an email to MedPage Today.

The study involved 479,723 participants (average age 56) from the U.K. Biobank, who weren’t diagnosed with dementia at baseline or two years into the follow-up period. Researchers primarily focused on their modes of transportation to and from work to register nonactive and active status. Participants were divided into five categories based on their answers:

• Nonactive (took a car or public transport)
• Walking
• Mixed-walking (combo of nonactive and walking
• Cycling/Mixed-cycling (cycling in addition to other modes)

Cycling is better for your brain health than walking.

Nearly half of the participants were inactive, meaning they either drove or relied on public transportation for their work commute. Here is how the remaining 50 percent shook out: 6.8 percent said they walked, 37 percent said mixed-walking, and 7 percent answered cycling/mix-cycling.

Of the 479,723 participants, 8,845 received a dementia diagnosis and 3,956 were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease during the follow-up period (a median of 13 years).

Results showed that nonactive participants had a higher risk percentage than their active peers.

“Compared with individuals who chose a nonactive travel mode, those who chose mixed-walking and cycling and mixed-cycling modes showed a significantly decreased risk of all-cause dementia after adjustment for all covariates,” the authors wrote in the study.

According to their findings:

• Mixed-walking and cycling were linked to a lower risk of late-onset dementia
• Cycling and mixed-cycling were associated with a “significantly decreased” risk of young-onset dementia
• Conversely, walking led to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s
• Cycling and mixed-cycling lowered Alzheimer’s risk
• Cycling and mixed-cycling were “significantly associated” with high hippocampal volume in the brain
• Walking and mixed-walking groups had a “smaller volume of gray matter and white matter”

“This outcome could be attributed to the physical activity and aerobic exercise involved in cycling, which is known to have neuroprotective effects,” Chen told MedPage Today. “Cycling, especially as a regular form of transport, may help increase blood flow to the brain, reduce inflammation, and stimulate neurogenesis, and requires higher cognitive engagement during travel, which could all contribute to the observed preservation of hippocampal volume.”

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Takeaway:

Diet and mental stimulation aside, cycling can mitigate the risk of all-cause dementia, young-onset dementia, late-onset dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease, per the study. Moreover, cycling can boost hippocampal volumes, which contributes to stronger brain health.

“Our findings suggest that promoting active travel strategies, particularly cycling, may be associated with lower dementia risk among middle-aged and older adults, which carries substantial public health benefits by encouraging accessible, sustainable practices for cognitive health preservation,” concluded the authors.

But, as always, speak with a doctor if you begin experiencing noticeable changes in memory and cognitive function—or have general questions about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.