Walking Speed of Seniors Citizens Walking Speed of Seniors Citizens
Canadian Medical Assn, Journal

AGING NEWS AND INFORMATION New Evidence That Walking Speed of Senior Citizens is Predictor of How Long They Will Live New study finds happy seniors more likely to maintain better physical function Jan. 21, 2014 A large study of people 60 and older has found that those who enjoy life are more likely to maintain better physical function in their daily activities and a faster walking speed as they age. Previous work by the researchers found these happy seniors were also most likely to survive for another eight years. This supports which supports another study suggesting walking speed is a good predictor of longevity. The study in 20ll found that how fast senior citizens walk appears to be a better gage of how long they will live than trying to do a more complicated analysis using age, sex, chronic conditions, smoking history, blood pressure, body mass index, and hospitalization. The researchers found walking gait is especially accurate for predicting remaining life for those age 75 and older. The report was published January 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)>. The new study of 3199 men and women aged 60 years or over living in England looked at the link between positive well-being and physical well-being, following participants over 8 years. It was published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) Related Archive Stories Men Who Walk Fast Appear to Have Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer Mortality Physically fit men have better outcomes due to more regularly shaped blood vessels Jan. 20, 2014 Signs of Aging Linked to Blocked Brain Blood Vessels Undetected by Current Technology Shaky hands, stooped posture, slow walking – We shouldnt accept this as normal aging. We should try to fix it and understand it – Sept. 19, 2011 Scientists Explain Why Senior Citizens Lose Energy; Hope to Slow Aging Process Discovered major declines in enzyme known as the Lon protease, as human cells grow older and body fights oxidative damage Aug. 31, 2011 How Fast Senior Citizens Walk Found to be Good Predictor of How Long They Will Live Large study of older Americans says prediction most accurate for those 75 and older; works for men and women – watch video Jan. 5, 2011 Older Age Does Not Cause Testosterone Levels To Decline In Healthy Men Second study finds older men more likely to lose the ability to orgasm due to gabapentin June 14, 2011 Read the latest news on Aging Participants were divided into three age categories: 6069, 7079 and 80 years or over. Researchers from University College London (UCL), United Kingdom, assessed participants’ enjoyment of life with a four-point scale, rating the following questions: “I enjoy the things that I do,” “I enjoy being in the company of others,” “On balance, I look back on my life with a sense of happiness” and “I feel full of energy these days.” Researchers used personal interviews to determine whether participants had impairments in daily activities such as getting out of bed, getting dressed, bathing or showering. They gauged walking speed with a gait test. “The study shows that older people who are happier and enjoy life more show slower declines in physical function as they age,” states Dr. Andrew Steptoe, UCL. “They are less likely to develop impairments in activities of daily living such as dressing or getting in or out of bed, and their walking speed declines at a slower rate than those who enjoy life less.” Participants in the 6069-year bracket had higher levels of well-being as did those with higher socioeconomic status and education and those who were married and working. Not surprisingly, people with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke and depression had lower levels of enjoyment of life. People with low well-being were more than three times as likely as their positive counterparts to develop problems in their daily physical activities. “This is not because the happier people are in better health, or younger, or richer, or have more healthy lifestyles at the outset, since even when we take these factors into account, the relationship persists,” Steptoe says. “Our previous work has shown that older people with greater enjoyment of life are more likely to survive over the next 8 years; what this study shows is that they also keep up better physical function.” “Our results provide further evidence that enjoyment of life is relevant to the future disability and mobility of older people,” Steptoe and coauthors conclude. “Efforts to enhance well-being at older ages may have benefits to society and health care systems.”


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