Gait Speed Linked to Aging

A population-based cohort study in New Zealand suggested that gait speed at midlife may be a summary index of aging and brain health. The study included a representative 1972 to 1973 birth cohort of 1037 original participants (91% of eligible births; 51.6% male) and observed to age 45 years (until April 2019, 997 alive). A total of 904 (90.7%; 50.3% male; 93% white) had gait speed measured. The mean (SD) gait speeds were 1.30 (0.17) m/s for usual gait, 1.16 (0.23) m/s for dual task gait, and 1.99 (0.29) m/s for maximum gait. Adults with more physical limitations, poorer physical functions, poor balance, poor visual-motor coordination, and poor performance on the chair-stand or 2-minute step tests, accelerated biological aging across multiple organ systems, older facial appearance, more cortical thinning, smaller cortical surface area, more white matter hyperintensities, and especially smaller brain volume had slower gait speed. Participants with lower IQ in midlife and participants who exhibited cognitive decline from childhood to adulthood had slower gait at age 45 years. Those with poor neurocognitive functioning as early as age 3 years had slower gait in midlife. The findings suggest that gait speed is more than just a geriatric index of functional capacity; rather, it is a summary index of lifelong aging and an integrative measure of health. Source: https://jamanetwork.com/