A study published in JAMA Network Open has found that older adults who walk faster face a lower risk of dying than those who walk more slowly, according to detikHealth. The research followed 4,067 adults in the United Kingdom, whose average age was about 69, for close to 12 years.
Participants took a short walking test at their normal pace and also wore activity trackers on their wrists for nine days so researchers could measure how fast they walked during everyday life. By the end of the monitoring period, 739 of the participants had died.
Those who moved at a quicker pace — both in the test and in daily activity — were less likely to die during the study window. detikHealth reports that the association held even after the researchers accounted for other health and lifestyle factors.
Why it matters
Walking speed is easy to observe and requires no laboratory equipment, which makes it a practical signal for clinicians and families monitoring the health of older people. Beth Templin, a certified clinical geriatrics specialist and CEO of HouseFit Physical Therapy & Fitness in St. Louis, told the reporting that physiotherapists sometimes call gait speed the "sixth vital sign" because it offers a quick snapshot of how well the body's systems are working together. Templin was not involved in the study.
According to Templin, a brisk stride depends on several things at once: leg strength, a healthy heart and lungs, good balance, and a brain and nervous system able to coordinate the movement. When walking speed begins to slip, she said, it can be an early warning that one of those systems is declining — sometimes before anything shows up on a lab test.
What the findings do and do not show
The study is observational, and Templin stressed that it demonstrates a relationship rather than proof that walking faster on its own extends life. The researchers also noted two limitations: the participants were generally in better health than the wider population, and there is still no single standard method for measuring daily walking speed with wrist-worn trackers. Further work is needed to see whether the pattern holds in other groups.
For older adults hoping to pick up the pace, simply adding more steps to the day may not be enough. Templin's advice is to build the underlying capacity rather than only the habit. "Build the 'machine,' not just the routine," she said, explaining that speed comes from muscle strength and balance, while most people focus only on walking more.
She suggested simple strength exercises, such as rising from a chair without using the hands and doing heel raises while holding on to a table. She also recommended short bursts of fast walking: after a warm-up, walk briskly for one minute, ease off for two, then repeat, gradually lengthening the faster intervals.
Watch for further studies testing whether gait speed holds up as a predictor across broader populations, and whether targeted strength and balance training translates into measurable gains in longevity.
