9,000 steps a day: New study suggests effective safeguard against  Alzheimer's

^{© Photo:Independent}

Walking 8,900 steps a day could protect the brain against decline and brain tissue loss from Alzheimer's disease, the Daily Mail reports, citing a study.

Researchers tracked the movement of elderly people and measured the levels of a protein linked to Alzheimer's to work out the link.

And they added exercise should be used alongside other heart health interventions such as lowering cholesterol, quitting smoking and losing weight. 

Improving blood flow has been linked to protecting the brain in the past and people with dementia are often found to have reduced flow to the brain, potentially starving it of vital oxygen and nutrients and hastening its decline. 

Researchers from the Centre for Alzheimer's Research and Treatment did a study on 182 patients at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

These patients had an average age of 73 and scientists measured how much they walked each day using pedometers.

They also tracked amounts of a protein called b-amyloid in their brains and the constitution of vital grey matter.