This Surprising Exercise May Be Better for Your Brain Than Walking, New Study Suggests

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Reviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RDCycling was linked to a 19% lower dementia risk and 22% lower Alzheimer's risk.
Active travel may boost gray matter in memory-related brain regions, like the hippocampus.
Benefits of active travel persist regardless of genetics, especially for Alzheimer's risk.Dementia is a condition that disrupts memory, cognitive abilities and the ability to perform daily tasks, and its prevalence continues to rise globally, particularly among older adults. The good news? Staying physically active in middle age may be a powerful way to lower the risk of developing dementia. Research consistently highlights the protective benefits of regular movement, though many adults still fall short of meeting recommended activity levels.
One effective method to boost physical activity is what is referred to as 'active travel,' which includes walking or cycling for transportation. In other words, the simple act of skipping the car, bus or train and traveling by foot or bike may have a profound impact on brain health. Active travel not only promotes general health but has also been linked to a decreased risk of conditions like diabetes and potentially dementia.
But participating in active travel won't be a magic bullet to living a dementia-free life. The interplay between lifestyle habits and genetic predisposition of developing dementia adds another layer of complexity. While active travel presents health advantages for most individuals, the extent of those benefits may differ depending on a person's genetic risk for dementia.
To explore this relationship further, researchers in the UK conducted a study to determine how various modes of travel influence dementia risk, including Alzheimer's disease, alongside changes in brain structure, and their results were published in JAMA Network Open.
To conduct this study, researchers used data from the UK Biobank cohort. These participants came from different regions across England, Scotland and Wales. The study gathered extensive information about their demographics, lifestyles, health conditions and more through surveys and exams.
For this research, some participants were excluded, such as those already diagnosed with dementia at the start or shortly after (within 2 years), those who couldn't walk, and those missing travel-related data. The study looked at two groups of dementia cases: those who developed dementia before age 65 (younger onset dementia) and those diagnosed at 65 or older (later onset dementia). The researchers ultimately evaluated 479,723 participants with over 13 years of follow-up.
To gather information about travel habits, participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire that included questions about transportation choices that they used. Based on their answers, the researchers grouped travel modes into four categories: nonactive (using cars, motor vehicles, or public transport), walking, mixed-walking (a mix of walking and nonactive modes) and cycling and mixed-cycling (cycling combined with other modes).
To identify individuals with dementia, they relied on detailed health records using standardized codes for medical diagnoses.
They also used information from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain, heart and abdomen. The research also looked at genetic factors related to dementia, focusing on the APOE gene, which is known to play a key role in dementia risk. Specifically, two genetic markers (called single-nucleotide polymorphisms) were used to determine whether a participant had a higher genetic risk. Participants were then grouped based on whether or not they carried the APOE ε4 gene variant.
Over a follow-up period of about 13 years, researchers found that out of all participants, 1.8% were diagnosed with dementia, including a very small group who developed it at a younger age (0.2%). The study compared different types of travel, like walking, cycling, or a mix of the two, with nonactive travel modes like driving. The results showed that people who cycled, or combined cycling with other modes, had a notably lower risk of developing dementia overall, particularly later-life dementia.
For instance, using a mix of walking reduced overall dementia risk by 6%, while cycling or combining cycling with other methods lowered the risk by 19%. Even for younger onset dementia specifically, cycling or mixed-cycling appeared to cut the risk by 40%. On the other hand, walking alone seemed to slightly increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 14%, but cycling or mixed-cycling helped reduce its risk by 22%.
When researchers studied brain scans , they found that cycling and combining cycling with other methods of travel were linked to slight increases in gray matter volume (GMV) in certain parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, which is important for memory. Walking and combining walking with other travel modes, however, were linked to slightly smaller volumes of gray and white matter in some areas. Importantly, these changes don't suggest a higher risk of dementia but highlight how different activities may affect the brain. Nonactive travel, like driving, didn't show any significant impact on brain structure in this study.
Interestingly, the researchers found that genetic risk didn't change the link between travel mode and early-onset dementia or Alzheimer's disease. However, for all dementia types and late-onset dementia, genetics did play a role. People who didn't have a specific genetic marker (APOE ε4) seemed to benefit more from cycling, showing lower dementia risks compared to those with the marker.
While these results are interesting and compelling, it is worth noting some limitations to this study. First, because younger onset dementia is relatively rare, the researchers couldn't break down the different types of cycling, making it hard to draw a firm conclusion. To improve this, future studies need more participants with younger onset dementia and longer follow-up periods. Second, they relied on people reporting their own travel habits, which might not always be accurate. Third, the researchers didn't track how travel habits changed over time, making it challenging to best understand these patterns. Finally, the study group lacked racial and ethnic diversity, as most participants were of European ancestry, so the results may not apply to all groups equally.
Understanding how active travel impacts dementia risk can ignite meaningful changes in your daily life, especially if you are focused on supporting your cognitive health. Imagine replacing those quick car rides with a refreshing walk or bike ride! Not only do you help the environment by cutting down on emissions when you do this, but you also take a proactive step toward protecting your brain health. Whether it's walking to the corner store, cycling to work or enjoying a peaceful stroll in the park, these simple shifts can deliver long-term benefits. The great thing is that incorporating more movement into your routine is achievable for most people and it may also support your brain health to boot.
Not all communities make it easy to bike or walk to work or while running errands. But if you can find time to go for a ride around the neighborhood or lengthen your parking lot walks at the grocery store, those little moments of extra activity could be helpful to your longterm health.
But active travel is just one piece of the bigger picture. Brain health thrives on a combination of regular exercise, a balanced diet, staying socially connected and getting quality sleep. While we can't control genetic factors, adopting healthy habits like active travel empowers us to take charge of what we can. The key is to tailor these efforts to your environment—whether that's walking more in pedestrian-friendly cities or cycling in bike-supportive areas. Small, consistent actions add up, and over time, they may help support not only your cognitive health but your overall health as well.
This study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that cycling may be linked to a 19% lower risk of developing dementia and a 22% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that cycling may increase gray matter volume in the hippocampus, which plays a critical role in memory. Conversely, nonactive modes of travel like driving did not show meaningful effects on brain health. While genetic factors can influence these outcomes, the study suggests that physical activity through active travel offers protective benefits regardless of genetic predispositions, especially for those without high-risk genetic markers.
Whether through cycling, walking or other forms of active travel, making intentional choices about how we move through the world can yield profound health benefits. While active travel is not a one-size-fits-all solution, it can be a practical and rewarding way to support both brain and body. By combining movement with other healthy lifestyle choices, like eating a nutrient-rich diet, getting quality sleep and staying socially connected, you can take meaningful steps toward a healthier future.
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