Is 10000 Steps The Magic Number? How Exercise Is Crucial For Cognitive Health
- Jun 1, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 5, 2023
Written by: Dr. Romi Fung, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Is there something special about 10,000 steps? The origin of this came from Japan in 1965 by a pedometer company that created a pedometer called ‘Manpokei’ which translates to ‘10000 steps metre (Bassett et al., 2017).’ There is now a lot of promotion on wellness apps and programs that make users set their goals to make 10000 steps, and now the implications to study the benefits whether or not 10000 steps is actually crucial. To think that a marketing campaign became over time a benchmark for a lot of studies regarding health. But this 10000 steps marketing campaign did not start on scientific evidence.
Before getting deeper into the literature, it is critical to have physical activity as part of an everyday lifestyle, especially in optimizing cognitive health. There are a lot of benefits coming from physical exercise alone.
There are so many benefits of physical exercise that ultimately impact the brain directly and indirectly, from:
Increasing blood flow to the brain and training the heart muscles to become stronger and more efficient, making blood vessels more elastic, which delivers more blood to the brain (Basso & Suzuki, 2017). This carries more oxygen to the brain which is a requirement for cells to function
Increasing insulin sensitivity and better utilization of glucose in the blood. Insulin resistance can lead to cells not being able to obtain glucose due to transporter malfunction of not just the muscles, but also the brain!
Balance and coordination train the proprioceptors that train the cerebellum. The cerebellum of the brain is crucial for our hand-eye coordination and fluidity of movement. Specific exercises such as table tennis that require hand-eye coordination are also beneficial for activating the cerebellum (Dunsky, 2019). Utilizing the cerebellum through exercise can preserve the cerebellar volume (Erickson et al., 2011), which is associated with better memory (Lin et al., 2021).
With that being said, there is no one-size-fits-all approach as the number of steps needed to improve cognition can vary depending on a variety of factors, such as age, fitness level, and lifestyle. Research suggests that engaging in regular physical activity, such as walking, can have a positive impact on cognitive function. A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that older adults who walked at least 8,000 steps per day had better cognitive function than those who walked fewer steps (Siddarth et al., 2018). Another published study found that patients with Type 2 Diabetes who walked at least 10,000 steps per day had better verbal memory and attention compared to control (Leischik et al., 2021).
While the exact number of steps needed to improve cognition may vary, these studies suggest that engaging in regular physical activity, such as walking, can have a positive impact on cognitive function. Besides the quantity (number of steps), quality (or intensity) of exercise is also an important factor. A study done by del Pozo Cruz et al. (2022) showed that steps with higher intensity were associated with a lower risk of dementia onset.
Intense and resistance exercise works more on increasing muscle mass. Research has shown that muscle mass and strength are associated with better cognitive function and a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia. A study published in JAMA found that community-dwelling older adults aged 65 to 86 with greater muscle mass had a lower risk of developing cognitive impairment and dementia (Tessier et al., 2022).
The exact mechanism underlying the relationship between muscle mass and cognitive function is not yet fully understood, but some theories suggest that muscle mass and strength may help to improve brain function by increasing blood flow to the brain, reducing inflammation, and increasing the production of growth factors that are important for brain health (Oudbier et al., 2022).
Take home message: 10,000 steps is not neessarily the magic number; but working on getting to 10,000 steps if you aren’t there is a good lofty goal to have. The point is to continue moving and increasing or maintaining your physical capability. The recommendation for physical activity in improving cognition and preventing dementia is to incorporate both aerobic (walking and running) and anaerobic (resistance) exercise at least 5 days a week.
But most of all, make it enjoyable! Take walks in nature and enjoy the local parks. Play hand-eye coordination sports like pickleball (it is getting surprisingly popular here where I am at!), tennis and badminton. Engage in some group resistance training classes. Do these activities with friends and your partner as there’s a huge connection between interaction and cognitive health – stay tuned for a future article on connection!
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!
Dr. Romi Fung, ND, M.Sc, Ph.D (cand.), Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dr. Romi Fung is a naturopathic physician practicing in Richmond, BC, Canada with a special focus in dementia and cognitive health. Dr. Fung works with patients living with cognitive decline and dementia by augmenting their brain's environment. He believes there is more to dementia than just working primarily with the brain; several metabolic and biochemical factors affecting our brain emerge from the body. Dr. Fung takes a comprehensive approach in working with his patients, from screening for inflammation, insulin resistance, and imbalanced hormones – all of which contribute significantly to our brain health, to interventions, including lifestyle coaching and clinical nutrition.
References:
Bassett, D. R., Jr, Toth, L. P., LaMunion, S. R., & Crouter, S. E. (2017). Step Counting: A Review of Measurement Considerations and Health-Related Applications. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 47(7), 1303–1315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0663-1
Basso, J. C., & Suzuki, W. A. (2017). The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, Neurophysiology, and Neurochemical Pathways: A Review. Brain plasticity (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2(2), 127–152. https://doi.org/10.3233/BPL-160040
del Pozo Cruz B, Ahmadi M, Naismith SL, Stamatakis E. Association of Daily Step Count and Intensity With Incident Dementia in 78 430 Adults Living in the UK. JAMA Neurol. 2022;79(10):1059–1063. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.2672
Dunsky A. (2019). The Effect of Balance and Coordination Exercises on Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Mini-Review. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 11, 318. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2019.00318
Erickson, K. I., Voss, M. W., Prakash, R. S., Basak, C., Szabo, A., Chaddock, L., Kim, J. S., Heo, S., Alves, H., White, S. M., Wojcicki, T. R., Mailey, E., Vieira, V. J., Martin, S. A., Pence, B. D., Woods, J. A., McAuley, E., & Kramer, A. F. (2011). Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(7), 3017–3022. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1015950108
Leischik, R., Schwarz, K., Bank, P., Brzek, A., Dworrak, B., Strauss, M., Litwitz, H., & Gerlach, C. E. (2021). Exercise Improves Cognitive Function-A Randomized Trial on the Effects of Physical Activity on Cognition in Type 2 Diabetes Patients. Journal of personalized medicine, 11(6), 530. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11060530
Lin, C. Y., Chen, C. H., Tom, S. E., Kuo, S. H., & Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (2020). Cerebellar Volume Is Associated with Cognitive Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Results from ADNI. Cerebellum (London, England), 19(2), 217–225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-019-01099-1
Oudbier, S. J., Goh, J., Looijaard, S. M. L. M., Reijnierse, E. M., Meskers, C. G. M., & Maier, A. B. (2022). Pathophysiological Mechanisms Explaining the Association Between Low Skeletal Muscle Mass and Cognitive Function. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 77(10), 1959–1968. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glac121
Siddarth, P., Rahi, B., Emerson, N. D., Burggren, A. C., Miller, K. J., Bookheimer, S., Lavretsky, H., Dobkin, B., Small, G., & Merrill, D. A. (2018). Physical Activity and Hippocampal Sub-Region Structure in Older Adults with Memory Complaints. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 61(3), 1089–1096. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-170586
Tessier, A. J., Wing, S. S., Rahme, E., Morais, J. A., & Chevalier, S. (2022). Association of Low Muscle Mass With Cognitive Function During a 3-Year Follow-up Among Adults Aged 65 to 86 Years in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. JAMA network open, 5(7), e2219926. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.19926
