Walking Speed Could Be <br />an Indicator of Dementia, , New Study Finds.<br />The study was conducted by researchers in Australia and published in the journal 'JAMA Network Open' on May 31.<br />It found a connection between <br />slower walking as a person ages and the possibility of developing dementia.<br />The large study assessed the gait of close to 17,000 people over the age of 65.<br />For people who walked at least 5 percent slower from year to year.<br />the study found that they also seemed to experience slower cognitive processing.<br />Researchers refer to the combination of symptoms as "dual decliners.".<br />In addition, these people who exhibited dual decliners were the ones in the study most likely to develop dementia.<br />These results highlight the importance of gait in dementia risk assessment, Taya Collyer, Study Co-Author, via CNN.<br />Dual decliners had a higher risk of dementia than those with either gait or cognitive decline alone, Dr. Joe Verghese, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, via CNN.<br />Despite the findings of this study and related studies published in the past five years, gait is usually excluded from cognitive assessments.<br />Gait dysfunction has not been considered an early clinical feature in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Joe Verghese, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, via CNN.<br />Some experts say that signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) do not necessarily equate to the onset of dementia.<br />In many cases, the symptoms <br />of MCI may stay the same <br />or even improve, National Institute on Aging, via CNN.<br />These health experts say that exercise could reverse the trend toward dementia
