Cycling contributes to brain health, study suggests

NEW YORK (HealthDay News)—Want to reduce your risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease? Hop on your bike and ride , a new study recommends.

Regular cycling for transportation appears to reduce the risk of dementia by 19 percent and Alzheimer's by 22 percent, according to the results, which were published in JAMA Network Open.

The data also suggest that cycling may help increase the size of a brain region important for memory.

“Cycling is a moderate-to-high-intensity workout, and it also requires balance,” explains Dr. Liron Sinvani , director of geriatric services at Northwell Health in Manhasset, New York, who reviewed the findings.

“It requires more complex brain function than walking, so it may be a better dementia risk reducer,” he adds.

“It's not just about exercising and making it part of your routine, but about thinking about how you live your life,” he continues. “So, instead of driving, cycling and opting for active modes of travel to move around as part of your lifestyle becomes very important.”

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 480,000 participants in the UK Biobank, a long-term health study of people living in England, Scotland, and Wales.

As part of the survey, participants indicated the means of transportation they used most frequently, excluding commutes to and from work.

During an average follow-up of 13 years, more than 8,800 participants developed dementia and nearly 4,000 developed Alzheimer's.

The results showed a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's among those who cycled or included cycling among other forms of transportation, such as walking, driving, and using public transportation.

“Our findings suggest that promoting active travel strategies, particularly cycling, may be associated with a lower risk of dementia among middle-aged and older adults, which has substantial public health benefits by encouraging accessible and sustainable cognitive health practices,” concludes the research team led by Liangkai Chen , an associate professor at Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

MRIs showed that cycling was also associated with a larger hippocampus , part of the brain involved in memory formation and learning.

But the benefits appeared to extend especially to people without a genetic risk of Alzheimer's.

People without the APOE E4 gene variant had a 26 percent lower risk of dementia and a 25 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's.

Interestingly, the results also indicate that driving offered some protection against dementia compared to taking the bus or subway.

“Even when using inactive modes of travel, such as driving or public transportation, driving seemed to have a slightly better impact (on brain health) than public transportation,” Sinvani notes.

However, the researchers caution that this observational study could not establish a direct causal link between cycling and healthy brain aging.

“What I tell my patients, family members, and friends whenever they ask me what they can do to reduce their risk of dementia is that whatever gets them out and doing things is what they should be doing,” he notes.

“It's not just about physical activity, but also about balance, and it really engages different parts of your brain.”

“If you can get on a bike, do it,” says Sinvani. “If not, use your feet.”

“I think if it's 'should I walk or take a bike?' I'd say take a bike; but if it's 'should I walk or just stay home?' I'd say definitely walk,” he says.