Crossword puzzles and brain teasers have long been touted as ways to keep the mind sharp. But a new study points to another strategy that may matter just as much: staying fast on your feet.
Researchers have found that people in their 80s who maintain an exceptionally quick walking pace, dubbed "super movers," are also far more likely to stay mentally sharp compared to their slower-moving peers of the same age.
"A super mover is someone who is older than age 80 and performing much better than their peers," says Dr. Sofiya Milman of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, one of the study's authors.
Milman and her collaborators 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 gait speed at least 1.5 standard deviations above the average of their same-age peers — qualified as super movers. Those individuals were also markedly less likely to experience cognitive decline.
"The biggest takeaway was that super movers are about 50% less likely to develop cognitive decline than their peers who are not super movers, which is very impressive," Milman says. The results are published in the medical journal Neurology.
The muscle health connection
Walking well requires balance, coordination and strength, all of which depend on healthy muscle, says Bonnie Tsui, a science writer and author of On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters.
"I think that the finding isn't surprising because we know that muscle health is very much correlated with cognitive health, especially as we age," Tsui says. "Exercise makes your muscles grow, but it also makes your brain grow."
Prior research has linked regular exercise to greater volume in the hippocampus, the brain's hub for memory and navigation. The new study found that super movers tended to preserve hippocampal volume as they aged.
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Tsui says the benefits trace back to what happens inside contracting muscles during exercise.
"Muscle is an endocrine tissue, which means when we move, our muscles release signaling molecules that affect other body systems, including boosting brain cell growth and regulating metabolism," she 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 support memory and cognitive function.
A body's network at work
Dr. Amit Saini, a geriatrician with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, says walking, and maintaining the ability to walk well, is a marker of good health because it draws on so many of the body's systems at once. He says walking supports cardiovascular health and lung health.
"As you walk, your heart is beating faster, and when the heart is beating faster, not only is it pumping the blood into the muscle, blood is being pumped to the brain, also into the nerve, and to your other systems," Saini says. "Your lungs are also breathing at a little faster rate, which again is keeping them lighter and healthier."
One of the study's more surprising findings: Some super movers showed brain plaques and tangles, which are abnormal proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, despite having no symptoms. Researchers say that suggests movement and all the benefits of staying active may help the brain stay resilient even as it undergoes age-related changes.
Genetics and lifestyle are also important
Genetics likely play a role in who becomes a super mover. A recent study found that genetics accounts for about 50% of a human lifespan, and Milman says among super agers, people who are thriving in their 80s and beyond, the role of genetics may be even greater.
Yet the authors emphasize that lifestyle habits, including decisions people make every day about what to eat, prioritizing sleep, taking time to de-stress and gather 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 agency over improving their odds of healthy aging, and one way to gauge your personal risks, and take steps to decrease your risk, is to assess your Brain Care Score. This is a free, online tool developed by doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital to calculate your risks and take steps, through changes to daily habits, that can help decrease the risk of stroke, dementia, heart disease and cancer.
"Fast walking is a marker that the brain and body are aging well," says Joe Verghese, a researcher and one of the study authors. "But also it's possible that people who walk faster might, 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 to maintain cognitive function as you get older."
Verghese says the findings carry a message for people of all ages and fitness levels.
"One of the main messages is, you know, keep mobile," he says. "Exercise regularly, and you know, that might put you on the pathway to being a super mover as you age."
Whether it's walking, swimming or cycling, researchers say the form of movement matters less than the consistency. It's a habit that could pay off for both muscle and memory over the long run.
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