A recent study revealed that biking regularly for transportation appears to reduce the risk of two neurodegenerative disorders, including dementia by 19% and Alzheimer’s by 22%.
According to research published June 9 in JAMA Network Open, the results further indicate that cycling helps increase the size of the hippocampus, a brain region important for memory.
Biking may foster healthy brain aging, study
For the study, researchers assessed data on up to 480,000 participants in the UK Biobank, a prolonged health study of people living in England, Scotland and Wales.
Over an average follow-up period of 13 years, more than 8,800 participants developed dementia and up to 4,000 developed Alzheimer’s.
Results indicated a reduced risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s among those who cycled among other forms of travel such as walking and driving.
The research team led by Liangkai Chen, an associate professor at Tongji Medical College at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China stated:
“Our findings suggest that promoting active travel strategies, particularly cycling, may be associated with lower dementia risk among middle-aged and older adults, which carries substantial public health benefits by encouraging accessible, sustainable practices for cognitive health preservation.”
MRI brain scans indicated that cycling is associated with a larger hippocampus. However, its advantages were mostly seen in individuals without a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s.
Individuals without the APOE E4 gene version had a 26% reduced risk of dementia and a 25% minimised risk of Alzheimer’s.
Among APOE E4 carriers, the protective effects of cycling were not significant.
Driving offered a more secure and safe driving experience against dementia than using public transportation, though neither involved exercise.
Researchers underscored that this study failed to prove causation. Dr Sinvani recommended staying active outdoors, stating that whether it's biking or walking, interacting in movement and balance supports brain health.
