Walking Speed May Influence Lifespan

By Author: meenaxi gusain
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Recent research has found that walking speed may provide an insight into the number of years an individual will live. A formula that incorporates walking speed has been found to aid in predicting an elder’s future life span when additional information, such as blood pressure and heart disease, are factored into the equation.

While walking speed may not provide the perfect picture of a person’s future existence, findings show that when health deteriorates, walking speed does as well. Dr. Stephanie Anne Studenski, a specialist in geriatric medicine based at the University of Pittsburgh, found that the capacity to get up and walk about is a powerful reflection of overall health, well-being and future life expectancy in older adults. The way in which people move is therefore directly related to their overall health, with those who find moving around easy being considered among the healthiest.

A test of walking speed as a measure of health is not a new concept, however. Healthcare professionals have always considered the capacity to move about and the vigor of an individual’s movement to provide an adequate impression ...
... of well-being. Oftentimes, it is the families of patients who are quick to realize that a slow walking speed may indicate deterioration in health. The question is, can walking speed really be relied upon to provide an adequate picture of health?

Research by Studenski and her colleagues, published in the January 2011 Journal of the American Medical Association, combined and analyzed the findings of nine studies which involved a total of 34,485 people, all aged 65 years or over. The studies analyzed were dated between the years 1986 and 2000 and each measured the speed at which the participants walked, among many other factors. The studies tracked the progress of the participants over the course of many years.

The researchers came to the conclusion that speed of walking was directly related to lifespan. Those who walked at a faster speed were found to live longer than those who walked at a slower speed. Predictions based on a participant’s gender and walking speed were as accurate as those based on medical conditions such as high blood pressure and obesity.

This is not to say that those who walk slowly should not expect to live much longer, and at present, there is no evidence to suggest that increasing walking speed will lengthen the lifespan. However, a slow gait is often a warning sign of declining health. As a guide, experts suggest that a walking pace of 2.5 miles per hour is adequate while 1.6 miles per hour or less could be a sign of medical problems.

It is not necessary for patients to walk far to be able to measure their walking speed. It is possible to determine walking speed simply by timing a patient walking a distance of just a few feet. While physicians can gain a good understanding of the health of their patients just by their appearance, testing gait speed can aid in judging a patient’s level of health.

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