Positive Benefits of Walking Two Plus Miles Per Day for Seniors. (?)

Walking May Protect Against Alzheimer's And Dementia
Healthtalk: Canada
September 21, 2004

Walking can reduce the risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study by a University of Virginia School of Medicine research team.

According to the team, elderly men who are sedentary are twice as likely to to develop Alzheimer's disease compared to men who take part in a daily walk of 2 miles or more per day.

From 1991 to 1993 the researchers analyzed data they collected on 2,257 men between the ages of 71 and 93 participating in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. The researchers questioned the men on their daily walking activity. The men were then evaluated for dementia in two follow-up exams in 1994 and 1999.

158 cases of dementia were identified during the follow-up examinations. After allowing for age adjustments, the researchers reported men who walked less than a quarter mile per day were nearly twice as likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease compared with men who walked in excess of two miles per day.

"We now have evidence that regular walking is also associated with benefits that are related to cognitive function later in life," said Dr. Robert D. Abbott, co-author of the study.

The researchers noted that the findings from this study of men in Hawaii are likely to apply to women as well.
The study is published in the September 22 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Note: Accordingly one could talk also about steps per day which have the advantage of easily being measured with a pedometer. The author of the above article says nothing about a baseline walking distance for seniors. Elsewhere, it has been estimated that seniors in that age bracket average 2500 steps per day. In other studies, a baseline of walking distance or steps has been determined for optimum health benefits.
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How Many Steps Per Day?
From Wendy Bumgardner: Your Guide to Walking.

New recommendations from Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke
How many steps per day are enough? Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke has been studying pedometer walking and released a new opinion in the January, 2004 issue of "Sports Medicine."

10,000 Steps a Magic Number?

A goal of 10,000 steps per day has become common, based on promotion in Japan by pedometer companies and its adoption by walking clubs. But there was no body of research to back up that number. Numbers as low as 6000 steps a day were shown to be correlated with a lower death rate in men in the Harvard Study.

Many people view 10,000 steps a day as too few for children, yet not achievable by many who are aged, sedentary, or who have chronic diseases. Some suggest instead of using a blanket 10,000 steps per day that instead the goal be based on the individual's baseline plus an increment of steps. For example, a woman who wears a pedometer in her ordinary activities notes that she logs 4000 steps per day. Her goal should be to add the equivalent of a half hour of walking to her day, for example 2000-3000 more steps per day.

New Goals
Based on the best evidence as of the end of 2003, Dr. Catrine Tudor-Locke recommends the following:
Classification of pedometer-determined physical activity in healthy adults:

1) Under 5000 steps/day may be used as a "sedentary lifestyle index"
2) 5,000-7,499 steps/day is typical of daily activity excluding sports/exercise and might be considered "low active."
3) 7,500-9,999 likely includes some exercise or walking (and/or a job that requires more walking) and might be considered "somewhat active."
4) 10,000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as "active".
5) Individuals who take more than 12,500 steps/day are likely to be classified as "highly active".

Note: So applying the Journal of American Medical Association data to the pedometer/steps format, a 10,000 step program which is roughly equivalent to walking five miles, is two and a half times more time/distance than was shown effective in the dementia study. With an average stride of 31 inches, and a pace of from two to six miles per hour, a suitable walking exercise program which has been shown to be effective in weight control, dementia risk reduction, and overall health risk abatement is easily worked into an hourly exercise program.