A study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York has found that older adults classified as "super movers" — those who walk much faster than their peers of the same age and sex — are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment. The findings matter because they suggest that maintaining brisk mobility into very old age may be a useful marker of a healthy, resilient brain, pointing towards possible new strategies for protecting cognition as people age.

The research assessed the cognitive function of 4,000 adults aged 80 and over drawn from several ageing and longevity studies, of whom 6% to 10% qualified as super movers, walking at speeds comparable to people three decades younger. Published in the journal Neurology on 16 June, the study found these fast walkers retained cognitive function despite showing similar dementia-related brain changes to slower walkers in postmortem analysis, suggesting they possess protective "resilience mechanisms". Lead author Dr Joe Verghese cautioned that the study was observational and does not prove faster walking prevents dementia, noting that cardiovascular health, fitness or genetics may influence both walking speed and cognition.