Your walking speed may hold a clue to how long you’ll live, study suggests
A UK study found that adults who walked faster, both during a short test and in everyday life, had a lower risk of dying over nearly 12 years. Walking pace may offer a useful snapshot of health because it draws on strength, balance, heart and lung function, and coordination.
The study followed 4,067 people, aged about 69 on average; 739 died during follow-up. Researchers adjusted for other health and lifestyle factors, but the results show an association, not that walking faster itself extends life. Participants were generally healthier than the wider population, and there is no single standard way to measure everyday pace with wrist trackers.
In short
- Faster walking was linked with lower risk of death.
- The study followed 4,067 UK adults for nearly 12 years.
- The findings show association, not proof of longer life.
Explained simply
Walking pace can reflect several aspects of health, including muscle strength, balance, heart and lung function, and coordination. As people age, changes in these abilities can affect how easily they move around.
Researchers study walking speed as one possible marker of overall health. It can be measured in a short, timed test or estimated from movement recorded during daily life, though methods for tracking everyday pace are not standardised.
A link between walking pace and lifespan does not show that changing pace would change how long someone lives. Other health and lifestyle factors may help explain the relationship, and findings from a study group may not apply equally to everyone.