The study was conducted by researchers in Australia and published in the journal 'JAMA Network Open'.<br />It found a connection between 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 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 of MCI may stay the same or even improve, National Institute on Aging, via CNN.<br />These health experts say that exercise could reverse the trend toward dementia.
