Busy Minds Blog

Can how fast you walk determine whether you’ll have dementia?

Aug 19, 2022

Can how fast you walk determine whether you’ll have dementia?

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