What is the risk of dementia?

Researchers find possible early warning sign

Created: 2022-06-04 05:55

Around 1.5 million people in Germany suffer from Alzheimer's or other dementia diseases.

Researchers have now identified a possible early warning signal.

© ROBERT KALB / robertkalb photographs / Imago

Walking is not only healthy, but can also help to detect diseases early.

A recent study shows what walking speed reveals about dementia.

Victoria/Australia - During the corona pandemic, many people went for walks more often.

This gentle way of moving strengthens the immune system, relieves stress and boosts the metabolism.

But going for a walk is not only healthy, it can apparently also help to identify diseases before they break out.

A recent study from Australia shows that walking speed can indicate dementia.

Study examines the connection between walking speed and dementia

A drop in walking speed has long been viewed by experts as a warning sign of increasing frailty or other limitations.

Research suggests that a slower walking pace may also be linked to cognitive impairment.

Scientists suspect that this is due to a shrinking of the right hippocampus, which is considered the brain's switching point between short- and long-term memory.

A study by the research team led by Taya A. Collyer from the Peninsula Clinical School at Australia's Monash University, which was published in the journal Jama at the end of May, has now found a more precise connection.

Anyone who walks at least five percent slower each year and at the same time shows signs of processing information more slowly has a high probability of developing dementia.

For the study, the scientists examined 17,000 subjects over the age of 65.

The study participants carried out cognitive tests every other year, which allowed conclusions to be drawn about memory performance, cognitive processing speed and fluency in speaking.

In addition, the subjects were asked to walk three meters.

The researchers took the mean of two measurements as the average speed.

Study: Who is at greatest risk of dementia?

According to the researchers, walking pace plays an important role: "These results underscore the importance of walking in the risk assessment of dementia," wrote lead author Taya Collyer, who is a research fellow at Monash University's Peninsula Clinical School in Victoria, Australia .

Those at greatest risk of dementia were those who demonstrated both a slower walking speed and mental decline.

In their study, the scientists speak of "dual decliners", i.e. people with a double decline - both in walking and in understanding.

On the other hand, those who showed a deterioration in only one of the two points had a lower risk.

Exercise can prevent dementia

In Germany, around 1.5 million people suffer from Alzheimer's or other dementia diseases.

Regular exercise should prevent the shrinking of the hippocampus.

For example, a 2011 randomized clinical trial showed that regular aerobic exercise increased the size of the right anterior hippocampus by 2 percent.

In the control group, which only did stretching exercises during the study period, the hippocampus shrank by 1.43 percent.

Aside from aerobics, other types of exercise can also help get your heart rate up, such as dancing, biking, swimming, or other cardio exercises.

According to another study, sleep problems can also be an early warning signal and point to dementia.