Research conducted on five continents found that walking speed can help predict the development of dementia. In a study of almost 27,000 people over 60 years old, the scientists found that those with minor memory complaints and slow walking speed (less than 2 miles an hour) were twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia within twelve years.
The authors point out that if underlying health conditions such as obesity and diabetes could be corrected, there’s a chance that the at-risk individuals might be able to dodge or delay dementia as well.
[Neurology, online July 16, 2014]
Despite our flippant headline, The People’s Pharmacy recognizes that people can’t help how fast they walk. Nonetheless, this is another bit of the puzzle tying consistent exercise habits to relative protection (not perfect!) from cognitive decline.
Obesity and diabetes are certainly hard to reverse, but given this connection, the effort may be very worthwhile. To learn more about how to do that, you might want to consider our book/CD Listen & Read offer of our interview with Dr. Mark Hyman, author of The Blood Sugar Solution.
