A 2025 study in Brain Sciences reported that walking, particularly at moderate to high intensities, increases BDNF levels, especially right after the exercise.

Can delaying a disease as monstrous as Alzheimer’s be as simple as walking and eating nutritious foods? To some degree, yes.

A June 2025 study in Molecular Neurodegeneration assessed this topic and concluded that “up to 45% of dementia risk can be attributed to modifiable risk factors,” namely exercise and diet.

What happens, the study explained, is that those two habits boost BDNF, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. BDNF is a protein that aids neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to adapt, learn and remember.

HuffPost spoke to a doctor about the study’s findings, and he said they make sense.

“Walking and diet are two of the simplest ways we know to boost BDNF, a key protein that helps brain cells grow, repair and communicate,” said Dr. Alexander Zubkov, a neurologist and board advisory member of 1MD Nutrition who specializes in neurodegenerative disorders and functional medicine.

“Higher BDNF levels are strongly linked to better memory and slower cognitive decline.”

The opposite holds, too: a decrease in BDNF is often seen in people who have neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, according to a 2015 study in Archives of Medical Science.

But what does “delaying Alzheimer’s” even mean in this case? And how much walking and which foods are most helpful? Ahead, we’ll answer those questions and more with insights from the study and Dr........

© HuffPost