Neurology Study Finds 80-Plus Super Movers Face 50% Lower Cognitive Impairment Risk
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jul 11
Neurology Study Finds 80-Plus Super Movers Face 50% Lower Cognitive Impairment Risk
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jul 11
Summary
A Neurology study led by Stony Brook's Joe Verghese found adults 80 and older with unusually fast walking speeds were 50% less likely to develop cognitive impairment than peers.
Super movers are seniors who walk at roughly the pace of someone decades younger; Verghese said the trait appears to start before age 80, suggesting brisk walking habits may help sustain it.
Other Verghese research linked super movers to younger biological age and lower rates of heart disease, depression symptoms and hearing loss.
Autopsies showed similar age-related brain wear in super movers and slower walkers, but the faster group had fewer symptoms during life, pointing to possible resilience mechanisms rather than less brain damage.
Only 19% of super movers also qualify as super-agers, indicating multiple paths to healthier aging as researchers seek more personalized prevention strategies.