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How fast you walk could be a sign of dementia

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But not all signs of cognitive decline predict later mental illness Only 10% to 20% of people age 65 or older with mild cognitive impairment or mild cognitive impairment will develop dementia within the next year, according to the National Institute on Aging. “In many cases, symptoms of mild cognitive impairment may remain the same or even improve,” the institute says.
Now, a large new study of nearly 17,000 adults over the age of 65 has found that people who walk 5% or more slower each year while also showing signs of slow mental processing are more likely to develop dementia. study was Posted Tuesday In JAMA Network Open magazine.

“These findings highlight the importance of walking in assessing dementia risk,” wrote corresponding author Taya Collier, a research fellow at the Peninsula Clinical School at Monash University in Victoria, Australia.

‘Double loser stocks’ at the highest risk

Track exercise intensity by & # 39; Talk test & # 39;

The new study followed a group of Americans over 65 and Australians over 70 for seven years. Every two years, the subjects in the study were asked to take cognitive tests that measured general cognitive decline, memory, processing speed, and verbal fluency.

Twice every two years, the participants were also asked to walk 3 metres, or about 10 feet. The two scores were then averaged to determine a person’s typical walking manner.

At the end of the study, researchers found that the highest risk of dementia was for “extremely impaired people,” or people who not only walked more slowly but also showed some signs of cognitive decline, said Dr. Joe Verghese, professor of geriatrics and neurology. at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New YorkAnd the who did not participate in the study.

“Furthermore, people with losers were more likely to develop dementia than those with cognitive decline or walking alone,” Verghese wrote in an accompanying editorial published Tuesday in JAMA.

Studies show that a slower gait as you age may be a symptom of dementia in the future.
The double association between walking speed and memory decline is predictive of later dementia, a 2020 meta-analysis Nearly 9,000 American adults have been found.

But despite these findings, Verges writes, “dystocia has not been considered an early clinical feature in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Exercise may help

There are things we can do as we age to reverse the brain shrinkage that accompanies typical aging. studies I have found that aerobic exercise increases hippocampal volumeincrease some aspects of memory.

The hippocampus, buried deep in the brain’s temporal lobe, is a peculiarly shaped organ responsible for learning, memory consolidation, and spatial navigation, such as the ability to remember directions, locations, and orientations.

Study finds exercise may protect your brain even if you have signs of dementia
Aerobic exercise increased the volume of the right anterior hippocampus by 2%, thus reversing the age-related loss of the organ by 1-2 years in one year. 2011 randomized clinical trial. In comparison, people who only stretched had an approximate 1.43% decrease over the same time period.

Aerobic means with “air,” a type of exercise in which your heart rate and breathing increase, but not so much that you can’t continue to do your job. Types of aerobic exercise can include brisk walking, swimming, running, cycling, dancing, and kickboxing, as well as all the cardio machines at your local gym, such as a treadmill, exercise machine, rowing machine, or ladder climber.

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