The many benefits of walking: Adding low Alzheimer’s risk to the list
Heramba Nath
There are moments in the modern world when scientific discovery feels less like innovation and more like rediscovery—when data affirms what human intuition has known all along. The recent Harvard study that finds daily walking can delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is one such revelation. It reminds us that amid the noise of modern medicine, the remedy for some of life’s most feared ailments may be found not in laboratories or pharmaceuticals but in the quiet rhythm of our own footsteps.
For centuries, walking has been intertwined with the human story. Philosophers walked to think; poets walked to write; seekers walked to pray; and common people walked to live. Before cars, machines, and screens, walking was how the world was experienced—one step at a time. Yet in an age where the digital outpaces the human, walking has almost turned into an act of resistance, a rebellion against inertia. Science is now catching up with this ancient truth—that movement is not merely physical, but spiritual, cognitive, and emotional.
The Harvard findings have reignited global attention to this humble act. Researchers discovered that individuals who walked between three and five thousand steps per day delayed cognitive decline by approximately three years, while those walking five to seven thousand steps a day pushed this delay to nearly seven years. In simple terms, this means that consistent walking can buy the mind more time—time to remember, time to recognise, time to remain oneself.
To understand the magnitude of this revelation, one must first understand Alzheimer’s disease itself—a condition that gradually steals away memory, reasoning, and identity. It is a cruel disease not only because it erases the past but because it dismantles the personhood built over a lifetime. Families often describe it as watching someone die twice—first in mind, then in body. There is, as yet, no cure. Medications can slow its course, therapies can ease its symptoms, but the brain, once deeply affected, seldom returns to its former clarity. Thus, prevention or delay becomes the most powerful form of treatment—and walking may be one of its most potent tools.
Walking improves blood flow to the brain, ensuring a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients essential for neuronal health. It also helps regulate blood pressure and blood sugar, both of which, when uncontrolled, can accelerate brain ageing. More profoundly, walking triggers the release of a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a kind of fertiliser for brain cells, promoting their growth and resilience. Studies have shown that even light physical activity stimulates regions of the brain associated with learning and memory, such as the hippocampus, making it less susceptible to shrinkage and decline.
The Harvard study also highlighted another fascinating element—the connection between walking and the reduction of Alzheimer’s-related proteins, such as beta-amyloid and tau. These proteins, when they accumulate abnormally, form plaques and tangles that interfere with communication between neurons, leading to the cognitive deterioration characteristic of Alzheimer’s. Regular walking, according to the researchers, appears to slow this accumulation, thus delaying the onset of symptoms.
It is humbling to realise that an act as simple as walking might hold such power. While billions are being spent on complex neurological drugs, and while technology continues its quest to decode the brain’s mysteries, one of the most effective tools for protecting our cognitive health has been quietly available to every person, every day, for free.
But the story of walking’s benefits extends far beyond the physiological. Walking soothes the mind, sharpens focus, and lifts the spirit. Countless thinkers have testified to this relationship between movement and thought. Aristotle’s students were known as “peripatetics” precisely because they learned while walking. Wordsworth composed his poetry along the misty paths of the English Lake District. Gandhi walked for freedom, but also for faith. Walking has always been more than locomotion; it is meditation in motion, where the mind finds order amid chaos.
In today’s world of anxiety, distraction, and noise, walking offers quietude—a space where the mind can breathe. It lowers cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, and restores emotional equilibrium. The gentle rhythm of footsteps has a calming effect, similar to the beat of a mother’s heart that once soothed an infant. Walking reconnects us with our natural environment, grounding us in a sensory experience of reality. The fragrance of wet earth, the song of a morning bird, the soft whisper of wind through trees—all combine to remind the walker of life’s subtler joys. This reconnection, too, has neurological implications. Nature walks are now shown to improve mental clarity and reduce rumination, both of which protect cognitive function over time.
For the elderly, the act of walking carries even deeper meaning. Ageing often brings physical slowing, social withdrawal, and emotional fragility. Walking resists this decline. It promotes mobility, independence, and a sense of agency—allowing one to remain part of the world rather than retreating from it. The Harvard findings suggest that walking’s benefits compound with consistency; a few thousand steps a day may seem modest, but when sustained over years, they accumulate into a powerful defence against both physical and cognitive decay.
In Indian society, where the elderly often face neglect or are confined to the margins of family life, the encouragement to walk can become an act of dignity restoration. Morning and evening walks can be transformed into small rituals of vitality, opportunities to interact, to greet neighbours, to feel the pulse of community. A city that makes walking safe and pleasant invests not only in public health but in human connection.
The North East of India, with its undulating hills, green fields, and quiet roads, is uniquely blessed for this purpose. Imagine a culture where walking becomes not an afterthought but a daily celebration of life. Imagine older men and women strolling along the banks of the Brahmaputra, exchanging greetings, sharing stories, their laughter blending with birdsong. Imagine students walking to school through nature rather than being confined to motor vehicles. Imagine hospitals encouraging walking clubs for patients recovering from illness. Such small shifts could lead to profound changes in collective wellbeing.
However, there is a paradox to confront. Modern life has systematically designed walking out of existence. Our cities are built for cars, not people. Pavements are broken or non-existent; parks are shrinking; and the tempo of life leaves little room for leisure movement. Even in smaller towns, walking is often seen as a sign of lack rather than choice—something done when one cannot afford transport. We must reclaim walking from that perception and reframe it as a deliberate act of strength, not necessity.
If policymakers truly wish to address the growing tide of lifestyle diseases—obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and now dementia—they must design environments that encourage walking. Safe footpaths, green corridors, and pedestrian-friendly zones are not luxuries; they are investments in national health. Schools and offices should promote walking breaks; housing societies should build walking trails; hospitals should integrate walking prescriptions into treatment plans. The Harvard study adds weight to what urban health advocates have been arguing for years—that walking is not a pastime but a public health imperative.
But walking is also deeply symbolic. In a culture obsessed with progress, walking reminds us of the value of slowness. It teaches patience. It embodies continuity. In an era of instant gratification, walking demands time; it cannot be hurried without losing its essence. Every step is an act of endurance, of faith that small, repeated efforts lead somewhere meaningful. In this sense, walking becomes a metaphor for ageing itself—a slow, deliberate, graceful acceptance of time’s passage, yet a refusal to surrender to its cruelty.
For those already at risk of Alzheimer’s or caring for loved ones who are, walking offers something else—a shared rhythm. When one walks with another, words are not always needed. The simple act of moving side by side fosters connection, compassion, and presence. Many caregivers have found that walking with Alzheimer’s patients not only calms them but revives brief flashes of lucidity, as though the body’s memory of movement momentarily reawakens the mind’s memory of self.
The emerging neuroscience supports what these intimate human observations have long revealed. Walking is not a mere mechanical repetition of motion; it is a cognitive process involving coordination, sensory feedback, and spatial awareness. Each step requires the brain to communicate with the muscles, balance systems, and environment—a dynamic dialogue that keeps neural circuits active. It is, quite literally, an exercise for the brain as much as for the body.