I've never been someone who likes to walk for exercise, mostly because I'm so slow. I'm amazed at people who race walk, since I'm convinced I'd have to break into a jog before I could ever walk that fast. I hope that's not a bad indication of my life expectancy according to new research, which claims the walking speed of older adults could determine how long they live. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that those who walked one meter per second (about 2.25 mph) or faster lived longer than others of the same age and sex. Those who walked 0.8 meters per second (or 1.8 mph) had an average life expectancy, compared with those who walked faster. This was especially true for older adults over age 75. "The findings were based on analysis of nine previous studies that examined the walking speed, sex, age, body mass index, medical history and survival rate of almost 34,500 people." "The researchers showed they could reliably predict the 10-year survival rate of a group of people based on how fast they walked along a 4-meter track. This suggests that for older people, walking speed could be a sort of "vital sign," like blood pressure and heart rate, they said." The goal of the study was not to encourage people to walk faster so that they would live longer. Rather, their speed was more of an indicator of their overall health status. If you're in good health, you're able to do more, move more, and consequently, can be expected to live longer. This could be a good way for people to gauge their own health, as well as a way for doctors to gauge the independence level of their older patients. What do you think? |
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