Researchers have found that an older adult walking faster translates into an increased length of survival. Staying fit and being able to walk is directly correlated to living longer. And what's more important than a greater life expectancy?
Researchers have found that an older adult walking faster translates into an increased length of survival. Staying fit and being able to walk is directly correlated to living longer. And what’s more important than a greater life expectancy?
It’s a significant study in that it pooled together results from nine previous trials — and it was published in the prestigious and influential “Journal of the American Medical Association.”
In it, U.S. researchers assessed the link between gait speed and survival in adults over the age of 65 who were followed for between six and 21 years. The information came from nine studies that together included nearly 34,500 people. Walking speed was measured in meters and seconds. The average for all was 0.92 meters (three feet) per second.
Over the course of the study, 17,528 people died. The overall five-year survival rate was 84.8%; the 10-year rate was 59.7%. They found that walking speed was linked to differences in the probability of survival at all ages — but particularly influential for those over 75. Here, predicted 10-year survival rates among different walking speeds ranged wildly from 19% to 87% in men and 35% to 91% in women.
Those who walked one meter or more per second consistently showed longer survival rates. This held true across all age groups. They also found that predicted survival based on age, sex, and walking speed was as accurate as predictions based on age, sex, use of mobility aids, and self-reported function or age, sex, chronic conditions, smoking history, blood pressure, body mass index, and hospitalization.
That’s a fairly startling point there: walking speed could predict how long a person lives as well as how much they smoked in the past, blood pressure levels, their weight and how long they’ve spent in the hospital — combined!
Walking requires energy, movement control, and support. It places demands on the heart, lungs and circulatory, nervous and musculoskeletal systems. If you don’t walk as well or as fast, it could reflect damaged systems and a high-energy cost of walking.
Men Who Get Adequate Vitamin D Lower Their Risk for Heart Attack
Men who consume the recommended amount of vitamin D are less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke. The best way to get enough vitamin D
Ingredient in Broccoli Proven to Prevent Cancer
If you haven't yet heard of the word "cruciferous," then now's your chance. It is the name for a family of vegetables that are among the strongest healing foods in the world. These natural foods are led by broccoli, and a brand new study has found that together they could help with cancer prevention.
Five More Vitamins to Take as You Age
As we grow older, we must pay particular attention to maintaining nutritional health. Here are the final five of my top-10 vital nutrients (6 through 10) and what happens to them through the normal course of the aging process.
