Are You A Fast Or Slow Walker?

Let's go for a walk

Walking seems like such a simple thing. We usually do not think about it until you cannot walk properly. My patient who had a recent ACL reconstruction literally had to learn how to walk again.

Walking actually relies on quite a few body systems working together. Your eyes to help you see where you are going.  Your muscles and bones working together to get you places, your heart and lungs to circulate oxygen. Of course you need your brain and nerves to coordinate everything.

Previous studies have shown that walking speed is a significant predictor of life expectancy in older adults. Pooled results from 9 studies involving 34,000 adults aged 65 and older showed that walking speed was significantly associated with lifespan. Men with the slowest walking speeds at age 75 had a 19 percent chance of living for 10 years compared to those with the fastest walking speeds who had 87 percent chance of survival.

Another study found that even amongst healthy adults aged above 65, participants with slower walking speed were 3 times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease compared to those who walked faster.

Did you know that if you are a slow walker you may have a smaller brain compared to a faster walker? Research has shown that how fast you walk to the shops, MRT, or your local coffee shop can predict your chance of a heart attack, being hospitalised or even dying. Your walking speed can even reveal your rate of cognitive ageing.

As we age, these systems start to slow down. Studies show that walking speed is a significant predictor of life expectancy in older adults. This does not just apply to older adults as Rasmussen and colleagues (2019) found that even amongst 45 year olds, a person's walking speed can predict the rate at which their brain and body were ageing.

In that study (Rasmussen et al, 2019) had 904 subjects, all 45 years old born between 1972 and 1973 living in New Zealand. Their health and cognitive function were assessed regularly over their entire lifespans. 

There was fairly huge variation in walking speed among the subjects. You would think that these 45 year olds would have similar walking speeds but some walked as quickly as healthy 20 year olds while others walked as slowly as much older adults.

The 45 year olds with slower walking speeds showed signs of "accelerated ageing" with their lungs, teeth and immune systems were in poorer shape compared to those who walked faster. They also had 'biomarkers' associated with a faster ageing rate such as higher blood pressure, raised cholesterol and lower cardiorespiratory fitness. 

The slow walkers also had a weaker hand grip strength and found it more difficult to get up from a chair. Other signs of cognitive ageing include lower IQ test scores, worse memory test scores, processing speed, reasoning and other cognitive functions. MRI scans showed they had smaller brains and a thinner neocortex - the outermost brain layer which controls thinking and higher information processing.

Even the faces of the slow walkers were rated as ageing faster than the faster walkers!

The research suggests that the slow walkers' brains and bodies age at a faster rate compared to the quick walkers. There were already signs that these health differences were present from an early age  as researchers were able to predict the walking speed 45 year olds based on intelligence, language and motor skills test taken when the participants were just 3 years old. 

Wow, I am so surprised that there is a link between how fast people walked at 45 years old and their cognitive abilities all the way back to when they were 3 years old. Perhaps walking speed is not only a sign of ageing but a clue to lifelong brain health.

Reference

Rasmussen LJH, Caspi A, Ambler A et al (2019). Association Of Neurocognitive And Physical Function With Gait Speed In Midlife. JAMA Netw Open. 2:2(10): e1913123. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.13123.