August 26, 2026
Older men and women who walk far faster than their peers tend to have much slower rates of cognitive decline as they age, according to a new report. Researchers found that these so-called “super movers,” people aged 80 and older who have walking speeds more typical of someone 30 years younger, were at lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Scientists and doctors have long been interested in what our walking, or gait, characteristics may say about our overall health. Our walking speed generally decreases with age, and slow walking or walking problems have been tied to a variety of problems in the elderly, including an increased risk of falls and illness. Studies have also found that elderly men and women with memory problems who walked slowly were at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Most of the earlier research, however, has focused on impaired gait and walking problems. This study looked at the top 8 percent or so of elderly adults who were exceptionally fast walkers for their age.
For the study, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, analyzed data from nearly 5,000 men and women who were enrolled in three long-running studies of aging and health: the Health and Retirement Study International Network of Studies, the LonGenity Study, and the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Most were in their mid-80s. About 10 percent met the criteria for being super movers, walking at speeds that were at least 1.5 standard deviations faster than their peers of similar age and sex.
The researchers had access to detailed information about their walking speed and overall physical and cognitive health. Many of the participants had also undergone brain studies to look for brain changes typical of Alzheimer’s, including reductions in brain volume and the buildup of beta-amyloid plaque and tau tangles.
After controlling for age, sex and some lifestyle factors, the researchers found that the super movers tended to have a 51 percent lower risk of cognitive problems over the next three to five years. They tended to have slower declines in memory, processing speed, executive function, and global cognition, all measures of the ability to carry out day-to-day functioning.
The brains of super movers also differed structurally from their slower moving peers. They had greater volumes in the hippocampus, a part of the brain critical for memory and one of the first areas to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease, even though their brains showed many of the brain changes typical of Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings suggest that being a super mover may offer some protection against the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. The fastest walkers had about half the likelihood of developing cognitive impairment in old age as their slow-walking peers. And in those super movers who did develop memory and thinking problems, the decline was slower.
“Superior gait performance in late life may serve as a marker of broader neurocognitive resilience,” the authors wrote. “Identifying the behavioral, biological and environmental factors that characterize super movers may assist developing targeted interventions to promote cognitive resilience.”
The study showed only an association between faster walking speeds and better brain health and cannot prove cause and effect. It is possible that super movers may have certain genetic or lifestyle advantages that allow them to walk faster and age more slowly. Nor can the study explain why super movers appear to have more resilient brains.
But the findings, published in the journal Neurology, build on earlier research linking superior gait speeds to a longer lifespan and better overall health. Aiming to keep our walking speed up as we age, these results suggest, may also be critical for the health of our brains. If you go for walks, try to walk a little faster over time; gently building upon other forms of exercise may show similar benefits. Staying active as we age may be one of the best things we can do for the health of our bodies and brains.
By ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site. Reviewed by Eric Schmidt, PhD, of The Fisher Center lab at The Rockefeller University.
Source: Oshadi Joyakody, Sofiya Milman, Nir Barzilai, et al: “Cognitive Aging and Brain Health: A Comparison of Super Movers vs Nonsuper Movers.” Neurology, July 14, 2026
