People who walk slower in their old age may be exhibiting a warning sign of dementia, a new study says. The research, from the University of Minnesota and Monash University, found that the ability to walk could become more difficult as the brain declines.
The research found that over 75-year-olds who lost 0.05 meters per second from their pace every year had signs of mental decline. Researchers say it could be due to a link between brain decline affecting the areas involved in controlling walking and pace.
The study tracked 17,000 older adults over a seven-year period, with walking speeds and cognition tested every other year, reports the Daily Record. A reduction in both cognition and walking speed signified a higher risk of dementia.
Dubbed "dual decliners", there were about 178 cases of the condition detected, which is 11.3% of the total number of participants in the study. Those who showed no decline in cognition or walk were least likely to have the disease with just 0.3% diagnosed.
The study did not find a more general link between walking speed and dementia risk. It found people who slowed down but did not already show signs of cognitive decline were at a similar risk to those whose walking speed remained the same.
Still, a decline in both cognition and walking speed could warn of dementia, according to the researchers, who suggest that speed and memory may be the best way to assess cognitive decline. The study was led by Dr Taya Collyer, a biostatician from Monash University.
It concluded: "Association between [brain] domains, such as processing speed and verbal fluency, with gait have been explained by the crossover in the underlying networks or pathology. These results highlight the importance of gait in dementia risk assessment.
"They suggest that dual decline in gait speed and memory measure may be the best combination to assess future decline."
The study was published this week in JAMA Network Open.
