Fast walkers in their 80s cut their risk of cognitive decline by half, study finds - NPR

In a study, researchers found that people in their 80s and older who walked faster than their peers were less likely to develop cognitive decline. FG Trade/Getty Images hide caption Crossword puzzles and brain teasers have long been touted as ways to keep the mind sharp. But a new study points to another strategy that may matter just as much: staying fast on your feet. Researchers have found that people in their 80s who maintain an exceptionally quick walking pace, dubbed "super movers," are also far more likely to stay mentally sharp compared to their slower-moving peers of the same age. Life Kit: Health How to maintain an exercise routine as you age "A super mover is someone who is older than age 80 and performing much better than their peers," says Dr. Sofiya Milman of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, one of the study's authors. Milman and her collaborators analyzed data from nearly 4,000 older adults enrolled in a long-term aging study. Participants had taken a timed walking test, and the fastest 9% — who had a gait speed at least 1.5 standard deviations above the average of their same-age peers — qualified as super movers. Those individuals were also markedly less likely to experience cognitive decline. "The biggest takeaway was that super movers are about 50% less likely to develop cognitive decline than their peers who are not super movers, which is very impressive," Milman says. The results are published in the medical journal Neurology. Walking well requires balance, coordination and strength, all of which depend on healthy muscle, says Bonnie Tsui, a science writer and author of On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters. "I think that the finding isn't surprising because we know that muscle health is very much correlated with cognitive health, especially as we age," Tsui says. "Exercise makes your muscles grow, but it also makes your brain grow." Prior research has linked regular exercise to greater volume in the hippocampus, the brain's hub for memory and navigation. The new study found that super movers tended to preserve hippocampal volume as they aged. Want the latest stories on the science of healthy living?