Older people who have an “exceptionally fast walking speed” in their 80s are called “super movers.” Super movers tend to have less cognitive decline and a lower risk of developing impairments. They had structural advantages in the brain that potentially helped them age.
Walking speed is a known marker of health in aging. As we age, our pace slows. However, some folks walk at speeds above average into their eighties and nineties. Other studies have found that super movers often have healthier lifestyles, fewer health concerns and are biologically younger than their peers.
“Most research focuses on why people walk slower as they age,” said Joe Verghese, a professor and chair of neurology at Stony Brook Univ. “We wanted to understand the opposite: why some adults over 80 maintain exceptional mobility and whether that reflects healthier brain aging.”
The research used data from almost 4,000 adults over 80 from three continents. The participants were tracked for three to five years. Super movers had a 51 percent lower risk of experiencing cognitive decline.
Super movers had more volume in areas of the brain linked to memory and movement. However, the outer layer of the brain — which generally thins as people age — was the same for super agers and normal agers.
“Studying people who age exceptionally well can be just as informative as studying disease,” said Prof. Verghese. “They may reveal new pathways to maintaining cognitive health into very old age.”
“We don’t know if people who walk fast also have better memory, but perhaps the act of walking quickly improves blood flow to the brain, reduces blood pressure, helps inflammation and neuroplasticity,” said Dr. Sirisha Nandipati, a neurologist at Kaiser Permanente San Rafael. “The study doesn’t prove walking fast causes better memory, but there’s lots of other data showing exercise has a good neuroprotective effect.”
Another study found that the number of steps may aid your brain as well as how quickly you take them. A study found that people who are active throughout their lives are 20 percent less likely to develop dementia.
As you take more steps, your dementia risk falls, according to the study. Walking 3,800 steps was linked to a 25 percent lower risk of dementia. Meanwhile, taking 5,000-7,500 steps was linked to a 38 percent lower risk of dementia. Finally, 9,800 steps has been linked to a 50 percent lower risk of dementia.
“While the exact mechanism that links exercise to dementia is uncertain, this work convincingly shows that a straightforward way to slow down the progression of [Alzheimer’s] is to take exercise,” said Prof. Andrew Doig of the Univ. of Manchester. “This does not have to be onerous. Even something as simple as taking a short walk every day shows real benefits. What’s good for the heart is also good for the head.”
