Yes…but not alone.
Research shows that if you have a consistent decline in how fast you walk, coupled with your cognitive abilities declining at a consistent rate, it can be a predictor of dementia.
It's been established that how fast you walk and cognitive decline are linked, but it wasn't clear until now.
A new study found the missing link between the two: in the 175 older adults who were studied, those who experienced consistent declines in both walking and cognitive abilities also experienced a shrinkage in their hippocampus, the part of your brain responsible for things like memory.
A little good news?
Aerobic exercise (exercise that gets your heart pumping) has been shown to increase the size of the hippocampus - even reversing the shrinking we experience with age.
Will it be enough to combat the shrinking associated with cognitive decline?
I don’t know, but I’m willing to find out.
Reference: UPMC
