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Objective physical activity and Alzheimer's disease burden in the population‐based Rotterdam Study
Phuong Thuy Nguyen Ho, Meike Willemijn Vernooij, Trudy Voortman, María Rodríguez‐Ayllón, Julia Neitzel. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2025-09-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Physical activity was not associated with plasma Aβ42/Aβ40, p-tau217, or brain Aβ burden 7 years later. Reallocating awake sedentary time to physical activity showed no association with AD biomarkers. No relationship was identified between physical activity and AD biomarkers, suggesting physical activity might affect dementia risk through other pathways or in an earlier life phase. HIGHLIGHTS: Physical activity was not associated with plasma beta-amyloid (Aβ)42/Aβ40 nor p-tau217. No association was observed between physical activity and brain Aβ 7 years later. Age, sex, and apolipoprotein E ε4 carriership did not moderate these relationships. Reallocating 30 minutes of sedentary time to physical activity resulted in no change in Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers.
Key findings
- Physical activity was not associated with plasma Aβ42/Aβ40, p-tau217, or brain Aβ burden 7 years later.
- Reallocating awake sedentary time to physical activity showed no association with AD biomarkers.
- No relationship was identified between physical activity and AD biomarkers, suggesting physical activity might affect dementia risk through other pathways or in an earlier life phase.
- HIGHLIGHTS: Physical activity was not associated with plasma beta-amyloid (Aβ)42/Aβ40 nor p-tau217.
- No association was observed between physical activity and brain Aβ 7 years later.
Why it matters
In this Rotterdam Study analysis, physical activity was not associated with plasma Aβ42/Aβ40, p-tau217 or brain Aβ burden 7 years later, and reallocating sedentary time to activity showed no link with these Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. The authors suggest physical activity might affect dementia risk through other pathways or in an earlier life phase, but this study found no link with these biomarkers.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 42/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 5 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 5 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Julia Neitzel: h-index 22 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40965463) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 42 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Ho, P. T. N., Vernooij, M. W., Voortman, T., Rodríguez‐Ayllón, M., & Neitzel, J. (2025). Objective physical activity and Alzheimer's disease burden in the population‐based Rotterdam Study. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70655
Vancouver
Ho PTN, Vernooij MW, Voortman T, Rodríguez‐Ayllón M, Neitzel J. Objective physical activity and Alzheimer's disease burden in the population‐based Rotterdam Study. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.70655. PMID: 40965463.
BibTeX
@article{ho2025-40965463,
author = {Ho, Phuong Thuy Nguyen and Vernooij, Meike Willemijn and Voortman, Trudy and Rodríguez‐Ayllón, María and Neitzel, Julia},
title = {{Objective physical activity and Alzheimer's disease burden in the population‐based Rotterdam Study}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.70655},
pmid = {40965463},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70655}
}
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