Scientists Identify Daily Step Count Linked to Better Cognitive Performance
Summary
A study of more than 3,000 U.S. adults found that people who typically walked more steps had modestly higher scores on several cognitive measures. The observational study cannot show that walking caused the differences, and researchers measured cognition only once, at the end of the study period.Key Facts
- Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine analyzed participants from the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program.
- Participants ranged in age from 18 to 93, and most were over 60.
- Researchers tracked physical activity and blood pressure from 2009 to 2023 and assessed cognition at the end of that period.
- The study identified groups averaging about 5,108, 8,875, and 14,161 steps per day.
- Each additional 1,000 daily steps, on average, was associated with modestly higher scores for sustained attention, cognitive control, and delay discounting.
- Participants with higher blood pressure scored lower on some measures, including self-control and impulsivity.
- The researchers said long-term typical activity, rather than short-term changes in activity, was linked to cognition.
- The study appeared in Scientific Reports on October 11.
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