In a recent study, researchers found that how fast people walk could tell how healthy they are.
The finding suggests that walking speed may be a new way to check a patient’s health condition easily.
The test may be added to the common health checklist that includes measuring blood pressure and checking BMI.
The research was conducted by a team from the University of Southern California.
Recent research has shown that the quicker your pace, the better your health outcomes.
Walking speech can help identify patients that might have difficulties recovering from surgery.
It may be linked to health issues, such as cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairments.
In the study, the team focused on walking speed and health in breast cancer survivors.
The tracked the patients’ walking speed.
The idea is that more sick a person becomes, whether it’s from cancer treatment or another disease condition, the more strength s/he will lose to move.
For cancer patients, losing strength to walk can be a big problem. They may be not able to walk to go to the restroom to barely be able to get out of bed.
The researchers suggest that people who don’t exercise can be impacted more by chemotherapy that keeps them in bed.
Their finding also showed that how fast people walk could show their biological age.
They suggest doctors could use gait speed to help determine a person’s biological age, which may be younger or older than their chronological age.
This is because walking speed could show how physically active people are.
In the study, fast walkers declined at a slower rate than slower walkers, which led to better health outcomes.
A big decrease in walking speed could mean an underlying health condition.
The researchers suggest that inactive people may consider using a walking program to maintain their overall health.
One researcher of the study is Christina M. Dieli-Conwright, an assistant professor of research in the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy.
The study is published in JAMA.
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