Researchers at Edith Coue University have found that decreased muscle strength and decreased walking speed in older people may indicate a higher risk of developing dementia. Research published Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle Journal.
The study included more than 1,000 women with an average age of 75%. The scientists measured the participants’ grip strength and the time it took to get up from a chair, walk three feet, turn, and sit back up. The final exam is known as the TUG test.
Over the next 15 years, it was found that about 17% of women developed dementia. Overall, women with the worst physical test scores were more than twice as likely to develop dementia than women with the best scores. The women whose TUG scores fell the fastest were more than four times as likely to die from dementia.
However, lower grip strength and lower TUG test scores significantly increased the risk of dementia, even after controlling for other factors such as smoking, family history, lifestyle, alcohol use, and physical activity levels.
“The results show that if we can stop this decline, we can prevent dementia in later life. However, more research is needed in this area,” he said.
Scientists believe that grip strength and walking speed may serve as a measure of brain health due to the overlapping pattern of cognitive and motor decline.
“Both grip strength tests and TUG tests are not routinely performed in clinical practice, but both are inexpensive and simple screening tools. Including them in dementia screening programs can be useful in identifying individuals at high risk of dementia, who can then be used for primary prevention.” can be supported by programs,” the scientists explained.