People who walk slowly at the age of 45 may age faster. They could become physically and mentally older. Walking speed could help doctors understand more about health problems older people have. Doctors know that older people who walk slowly are more likely to have health problems. This may be the same for younger people. A researcher said: "Doctors know that slow walkers in their 70s and 80s tend to die sooner than fast walkers their same age."
Researchers looked at the health records of 904 people. Some records went back to when people were three years old. The researchers looked at how good the people's memory was and their intelligence. Researchers did tests on the people. The people had to say the alphabet while walking at a normal and fast speed. The people who walked more slowly showed less brain activity in brain scans while saying the alphabet.