Set into the sparkling waves of the Aegean Sea, the island of Ikaria is a rugged little gem with a dramatic landscape of forested mountains scoured by deep gorges. Until recently, for the local Ikarians, winding through the rocks along old footpaths, called monópatia, was often the only way to visit friends and family or tend to your olive grove. Even nowadays and in their old age, Ikarians walk up and down the mountains constantly, which keeps them fit, healthy, and happy. Especially so, in fact, as Ikarians live healthier for longer than almost anywhere else on earth. They have less cancer, half the rate of heart disease, and rarely get dementia1,2.
Ikaria belongs to an exclusive club of “Blue Zones”: places where the locals consistently live beyond 100 years. From Okinawa to Sardinia, these regions are home to the longest-lived communities in the world, which owe their health and longevity to shared features of the lifestyle and environment1,3.
The mountainous terrain of Ikaria, common to many Blue Zones, encourages lots of walking. Whether a trek up a mountain or a stroll in the country, walking benefits our body in various ways, and many studies support the strong and consistent link between walking and healthy aging4.
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The Power of Walking: A Key to Healthy Aging
Regular walking fortifies the body against age-related diseases across multiple organ systems, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia, for example. These positive effects result from promoting good health across the whole body and acting on molecular hallmarks of aging within our cells4.
Cardiovascular Benefits:
The most significant benefits of walking are cardiovascular – in the heart and blood vessels. Cardiovascular health declines as we age, increasing risk factors for dangerous diseases and conditions, such as heart attacks and strokes5.
Several meta-analyses, which review the results from many research papers, support the view that walking improves cardiovascular risk factors, from body fat to blood pressure and cholesterol4. This matches with a greatly reduced risk of disease – one meta-analysis in the UK, for example, collected step count data from over 75,000 people aged 40 to 79 years and found that more steps consistently means less cardiovascular disease and fewer deaths6. Furthermore, while any number of steps helps, the walking pace seems to play a big role in this relationship, with the speediest walkers benefitting from a greater reduction compared to the slowest7,8.
One major way that walking has such benefits is through the positive impact on endothelial cells, which are essential for cardiovascular health. Endothelial cells form the inner surface of blood vessels and are tasked with regulating blood pressure, maintaining the blood vessel walls, and controlling the exchange of nutrients and the movement of immune cells between the blood and tissues. Endothelial cells become dysfunctional as we age, which causes trouble all over the body, including in the brain and kidneys, and contributes to various cardiovascular diseases9. Walking promotes the release of anti-inflammatory factors and activation of genes and pathways that help maintain youthful and functional endothelial cells. By enhancing endothelial function, walking strengthens cardiovascular health, protecting against diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
Cognitive Benefits
As we age, heart problems are often joined by cognitive decline in causing us trouble and worry, and nearly one in ten of us are expected to experience dementia as we approach our seventies10. Just as with the heart, thankfully, the brain also benefits from regular walking, with studies showing a consistent connection between regular walking and reduced cognitive decline.
A meta-analysis found that low-intensity physical activity, which includes walking, could reduce dementia risk by nearly 40% and a further study suggests that the famous 10,000 steps per day is about right to tap into this benefit11,12. As with cardiovascular health, walking pace is important, with the slowest walkers having a higher risk of developing dementia11,13.
Furthermore, growing evidence is showing that endothelial cells have an important role in brain health, such as maintaining the blood-brain barrier, and that endothelial dysfunction can result in cognitive decline and dementia4. As such, walking may work to benefit heart and brain health in similar ways by helping to keep endothelial cells in good working order.
The evidence on the effect of walking on the heart and brain rings true for the Ikarians marching through the decades in rude health and with sound minds. But we can peer even deeper into their uniquely-tuned biology and consider whether the Blue Zone lifestyle affects the aging process itself.
Positive Impact On the Hallmarks of Aging
Aging is generally thought to be driven by the build-up of cellular damage over time, which results in 12 “hallmarks” of aging14. The hallmarks all link together and include genome instability, cellular senescence and inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction, which we will explore below. Researchers work to understand these hallmarks in order to target and slow aging. Numerous studies indicate that exercise, including regular walking, can affect the hallmarks of aging by influencing various processes at the cellular and molecular level.
DNA damage tends to build up over time, and our genome becomes less stable, which makes it more vulnerable to mutations that can hamper cell function or lead to cancer. Walking seems to promote DNA repair, which protects against mutations, by activating repair enzymes and proteins that help respond to DNA damage. It is also linked to the maintenance of telomeres, which are special lengths of DNA that stabilize our chromosomes15.
When cells get put under too much stress they may enter a state called “senescence”. Senescent cells lose their proper function and interfere with the tissue around them by secreting molecules, called cytokines, that cause inflammation. Evidence suggests that exercise can reduce the build-up of senescent cells and the level of cytokines, keeping cells and their tissues healthy and working well16.
Mitochondria are organelles responsible for the bulk of energy generation inside your cells and also have important roles in regulating cell functions. During aging, mitochondria tend to become dysfunctional, meaning they can’t generate enough energy for the cell or regulate its functions correctly17. This feeds into age-related diseases, including cardiovascular conditions and dementia. Exercise has been shown to affect mitochondria in many positive ways4. Even a gentle walking routine, as shown in one study, can improve gene expression and energy generation, counteracting mitochondrial dysfunction18.
Walking Our Way to Longer Lives
From up in the mountains of Ikaria, down to the mitochondria inside your cells, we have explored how walking can make a big difference in many small ways. The evidence supports that walking affects processes at various levels to promote cellular function and tissue health. As part of a healthy lifestyle, by walking regularly and at a good pace we can protect against the aging process and stride towards living healthier for longer.
