In one study, researchers found that people aged 80 and older who walked faster than their peers were less likely to develop cognitive decline. FG Comercio/Getty Images hide title toggle title FG Comercio/Getty Images Crossword puzzles and brain teasers have long been promoted as ways to keep your mind sharp. But a new study points
In one study, researchers found that people aged 80 and older who walked faster than their peers were less likely to develop cognitive decline.
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Crossword puzzles and brain teasers have long been promoted as ways to keep your mind sharp. But a new study points to another strategy that may be just as important: staying fast on your feet.
Researchers have found that people in their 80s who maintain an exceptionally fast walking pace, called “super movers,” are also much more likely to stay mentally alert compared to their slower-moving peers of the same age.
“A super mover is someone who is over 80 years old and performs much better than his or her peers,” says Dr. Sofiya Milman of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, one of the study’s authors.
Milman and his colleagues analyzed data from nearly 4,000 older adults enrolled in a long-term aging study. Participants had taken a timed walking test and the fastest 9% (who had a walking speed at least 1.5 standard deviations above the average of their age-matched peers) qualified as super movers. Those people were also notably less likely to experience cognitive decline.
“The most important finding was that people who move a lot are about 50% less likely to develop cognitive decline than their peers who don’t move a lot, which is very impressive,” says Milman. The results are published in the medical journal. Neurology.
The connection with muscle health
Walking well requires balance, coordination and strength, all of which depend on the health of your muscles, says Bonnie Tsui, science writer and author of About muscle: what moves us and why it is important.
“I think the finding is not surprising because we know that muscle health is highly correlated with cognitive health, especially as we age,” Tsui says. “Exercise makes your muscles grow, but it also makes your brain grow.”
Previous research has linked regular exercise to increased volume in the hippocampus, the brain’s center for memory and navigation. The new study found that people with large movements tended to preserve hippocampal volume as they aged.
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Tsui says the benefits can be traced back to what happens inside the muscles that contract during exercise.
“Muscle is an endocrine tissue, meaning that when we move, our muscles release signaling molecules that affect other systems in the body, including increasing brain cell growth and regulating metabolism,” he says. “So muscle health is cognitive health.”
Among those signaling molecules is a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, which helps regulate glucose and plays an important role in the survival and maintenance of neurons, helping to support memory and cognitive function.
The network of a body in action
Dr. Amit Saini, a geriatrician at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, says that walking and maintaining the ability to walk well is an indicator of good health because it draws on many body systems at once. He says that walking promotes cardiovascular and lung health.
“As you walk, your heart beats faster, and when the heart beats faster, it not only pumps blood to the muscle, but it also pumps blood to the brain, also the nerve and the other systems,” says Saini. “Your lungs also breathe at a slightly faster rate, which in turn keeps them lighter and healthier.”
One of the study’s most surprising findings: Some supermotors showed brain plaques and tangles, which are abnormal proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, despite having no symptoms. Researchers say this suggests that movement and all the benefits of staying active can help the brain stay resilient even as it undergoes age-related changes.
Genetics and lifestyle are also important.
Genetics likely plays a role in who becomes a super mover. A recent study found that genetics accounts for about 50% of human lifespan, and Milman says that among super-aged people, people who thrive into their eighties, the role of genetics may be even greater.
However, the authors emphasize that lifestyle habits, including the decisions people make every day about what to eat, prioritizing sleep, taking time to de-stress, and gathering with friends and family, all matter. In fact, research shows that nearly half of all dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors.
People have the power to improve their chances of aging healthily, and one way to measure their personal risks and take steps to reduce them is to evaluate their Brain Care Score. This is a free online tool developed by doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital to calculate your risks and take actions, through changes in daily habits, that can help lower your risk of stroke, dementia, heart disease and cancer.
“Walking fast is an indicator that the brain and body are aging well,” says Joe Verghese, a researcher and one of the authors of the study. “But it is also possible that people who walk faster, by engaging in these activities, also protect their brain health through a variety of mechanisms by reducing inflammation, improving cardiovascular health, and promoting brain growth in areas that are essential for maintaining cognitive function as we age.”
Verghese says the findings convey a message for people of all ages and fitness levels.
“One of the main messages is, you know, stay mobile,” he says. “Exercise regularly and, you know, that could put you on the path to becoming a big mover as you get older.”
Whether it’s walking, swimming or cycling, researchers say the form of movement matters less than consistency. It is a habit that could be beneficial for both muscles and long-term memory.
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