Stony Brook Study Links Faster Walking to 50% Lower Cognitive Decline Risk After 80
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 8
Stony Brook Study Links Faster Walking to 50% Lower Cognitive Decline Risk After 80
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 8
Summary
About 4,000 adults aged 80 and older were tracked across several aging studies, and those classified as “super movers” had roughly half the risk of developing cognitive impairment.
Just 6% to 10% of participants met that threshold, walking at speeds comparable to people about 30 years younger than others of the same age and sex.
Postmortem brain analysis found no difference in dementia-related pathology between faster and slower walkers, suggesting the faster group may have greater resilience to age-related brain changes.
The Neurology study was observational, so it does not show that faster walking prevents dementia; researchers said cardiovascular health, fitness and genetics could influence both gait speed and cognition.
Stony Brook’s lead author said walking speed should be viewed as a marker of overall health, while public health guidance still recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate activity such as brisk walking.