Walking Slowly at Age 45 Could Be a Sign of Accelerated Aging

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that walking speed could indicate the speed of aging, reports Medical Xpress . "Slower walkers were shown to have 'accelerated aging' on a 19-measure scale devised by researchers, and their lungs, teeth and immune systems tended to be in worse shape than the people who walked faster," said Duke University researchers. The investigators said the tests the participants took at age 3 — including intelligence quotient, understanding language, frustration tolerance, motor skills, and emotional control — could forecast who would be a slow walker at age 45. Magnetic resonance imaging scans showed that the brains of slow walkers had less cortical thickness and surface area, while screeners displayed photos of the 45-year-olds felt the slow walkers appeared older.