Research reveals that ‘Slow walking might be linked with dementia’
February 17th, 2012 - 10:20 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattNew York, Feb 17 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A new research says the speed of a person’s walk can predict the chances of a person developing dementia later on in life. The researchers report that slow walkers had the highest chance of developing dementia when compared with fast walkers.
The researchers from the Boston Medical Centre conducted their study on more than 2,400 people with the average age of 62 years. The walking speed and grip strength of the participants were taken along with a brain scan.
The studies were conducted over a period of 11 years. After the period, the researchers reported that 34 of the people developed dementia while 79 of them had strokes. When the results were matched with the walking speed and the grip strength, the researchers concluded that those with lowest walking speed had the highest risk of developing dementia while those with lowest grip strength also had higher risk of developing stroke.
Research author Dr Erica Camargo revealed that, “These are basic office tests which can provide insight into risk of dementia and stroke and can be easily performed by a neurologist or general practitioner. Further research is needed to understand why this is happening and whether preclinical disease could cause slow walking and decreased strength.”
The findings were presented at the Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in the United States.
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Tags: 11 years, academy of neurology, annual meeting, boston medical, brain, camargo, dementia, erica, further research, general practitioner, grip strength, insight, medical centre, neurologist, participants, slow walkers, slow walking, stroke research, strokes, walking speed